


A Hunter's Prey

by alpineshoodratt



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Abduction, Adult Content, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Serial Killers, Assault, Dark, Dark Dean Winchester, Dark Sam Winchester, Gang Rape, Hurt, Hurt Castiel, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapped Castiel, Kidnapping, M/M, Porn, Porn With Plot, Rape, Rape/Non-con Elements, Serial Killer Dean, Serial Killers, Sexual Assault, Shameless Smut, Smut, Statutory Rape, Teen Castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-26
Updated: 2015-11-05
Packaged: 2018-04-28 07:23:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 14
Words: 31,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5082889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alpineshoodratt/pseuds/alpineshoodratt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A blue eyed boy he locked gazes with at a stoplight. His prey sat in the back of a pricey SUV, 4 other boys in the car, rowdy and loud.  This kid sat quietly, watching out the window, until he noticed Dean looking.  His sapphire eyes met Dean’s emerald ones for all of three seconds, before blushing and looking down. </p><p>Yummy</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

THE HUNTER

Dean Winchester wanted to taste everyone. Just a taste. Boys, girls, men, women, black, white, young, old, gay, straight, every delicious flavor. He hunted for pets, prey that would satisfy his cravings. No, he wasn’t a cannibal, he was a collector.

He could spot a promising target a mile away. A nervous man, watching his feet instead of what’s in front of him. A shy girl, avoiding eye contact, offering an apologetic smile when it happened by accident. Maybe a stuck up bitch, clicking her heals over the pavement and ignoring everyone around her.

No one was off limits. Dean spotted someone interesting, tracked them, and when the time was right, grabbed them. Sometimes they screamed, other ones begged (please don’t hurt me) some bargained (I’ll do whatever you want, don’t kill me) once in a while they would threaten (you touch me and my husband will kill you). That one never failed to make Dean laugh.

His newest quest, a blue eyed boy he locked gazes with at a stoplight. His prey sat in the back of a pricey SUV, 4 other boys in the car, rowdy and loud. This kid sat quietly, watching out the window, until he noticed Dean looking. His sapphire eyes met Dean’s emerald ones for all of three seconds, before blushing and looking down. 

Yummy

 

THE PREY

 

Castiel didn’t think much about the awkward exchange at the intersection. His brothers were being crazy loud and above average annoying. He couldn’t wait to get his driver’s license so he wouldn’t have to depend on Michael to take him to school. 

The Engelmann Boys. 

Michael, 18, senior, football, wrestling

Lucifer, 17, junior, basketball, football 

Gabrielle, 16, sophomore, drama, band

Samandriel, 14, senior, genius, class president

That left

Castiel, 15, freshman, no clubs, no sports, the ‘pretty one’ ‘the gay one’.

Cas was quiet, shy and beautiful. Raven black hair, sapphire eyes, clear pale skin, delicate features. Jokes were made that Mrs. Engelmann didn’t need to try for a girl, she already had one.

He didn’t find that funny. 

Today was Friday, that meant family football night. Cheering for Michael and Lucifer, watching Gabrielle play trumpet in the band at half time. Torture for Castiel. Crowds were not his favorite. 

After his parents and Samandriel settled in the bleachers, Cas snuck off to the practice field behind the stands. Positioning himself smack dab in the middle, headphones in, he leaned back on his hands, legs stretched out before him and just studied the sky. 

His solitude interrupted by a nudge of a foot to his shoulder. Yanking out his earbuds, he twisted to see who decided to bother him this time. 

Crowley. Damn it. Narcissistic, British and all around creeper.

“Why, hello there, Castiel. What are you doing all alone out here? No bodyguards tonight?”

Swallowing nervously, “Hi Crowley”

The senior exchange student made Cas anxious, raking his eyes up and down his body. He had asked, then pestered, then stalked the beauty, dogged to secure a date. Castiel politely declined each invitation, making the older boy more determined. 

Crowley dropped down in the grass next to him, sitting much too closely. Castiel attempted to stand when painful grip tucked him back down by the wrist. 

“Bloody hell, Cas! You can sit and talk to me for a bit, I won’t bite” becoming more aggressive.

The sky grew dim, the band started up, signaling half time. 

“I have to go, Crowley. I promised Gabrielle I’d watch him perform” trying to rise again but the hold tightened. 

“Why don’t you like me, love? I could be so nice to you, treat you like a prince, you only need to give me a chance.” tone soft this time, spooking Cas more. 

“He said to let go” 

A new deeper voice, traveled through the air, startling both boys. Crowley released Castiel and they both stood, turning towards the source. A tall man, chestnut hair, leather jacket and blue jeans. It was hard to make out his face in the dusk. 

“You have a new bulldog, do you?” Crowley sneered

Castiel shook his head but took advantage of the distraction to move away from the older boy. 

“I think he wants to be left alone, you should go” 

The tall man moved closer, Crowley finally found the sense to be intimidated. 

“I’ll speak to you later, love” he threw over his shoulder as he strolled away. 

His unknown savior rotated to shadow him, Cas called quietly, sincerely 

“Thank you” 

He received a grin, green eyes locking with blue ones again, 

“You’re welcome, sweetheart” 

 

THE HUNTER

 

The plan had been to tail his newest target. Watching another predator manhandle his prey, frankly, pissed him off. No one touches his pets. 

No one.

The boy’s voice, addictive, quiet; unsure. His shy, solitary nature… 

Scrumptious

He knew his name now. ‘Castiel’. A name he had never heard before, but fitting, beautiful and original. Dean continued to track him as he joined his parents and younger brother in the stands. The Hunter took a seat several rows back, never taking his eyes off his trophy until the game concluded. He had no idea who won, or who played for that matter. Afterwards, he watched the family pile in to their SUV and drive away.

Once he made certain his target was secure. The Hunter scoped the parking lot for another type of game. He had caught the scent of a rival predator, that rival must be eliminated. Locating Crowley climbing in a red convertible, Dean smirked. The kid spun his tires noisily as he exited, the older man close behind.

Crowley started up the walkway to his host family’s house. A moment before he reached the door with its brass knocker, hands took hold of his chin and the base of his skull. A simple, intent twist and the British exchange student lay lifeless across the Welcome mat. The Hunter strolled silently away.

Obstacle terminated. 

 

THE PREY

 

Castiel failed to tell anyone about the confrontation with Crowley. His brothers would surely make a huge scene of it and the situation had been resolved, somewhat. He didn’t know who the man in the jacket was, or why he happened to be there, but Cas was grateful. Crowley had harassed him before, but this was the first time he had the balls to lay hands on him. 

His weekend was uneventful. His brothers had their practices, meetings and clubs to attend to. His parents revolved in and out of the house, who knows what they did, Cas never had the curiosity to check. 

No, Castiel was perfectly content by himself. He read, played with the dogs, drifting to the kitchen around 4pm each night to help Anna, the housekeeper, prepare dinner. He loved to cook and Anna was kind enough to teach him. Not sure if his parents would approve didn’t hinder him, they were hardly ever there until 6pm. 

Family dinners were the worst. Everyone chatting about their activities, their girlfriends, attempting to rope Castiel into the conversation. He would only answer direct questions politely, rearranging the food on his plate to resemble happy faces or flowers. Although his parents expressly forbid him to do so, if they weren’t paying attention, he would sneak in and help Anna with the clean-up. He felt closer to Anna than any of his siblings. 

News of Crowley’s murder monopolized the 6 o’clock news Saturday night. Castiel watched, stunned, with a horrible sick feeling in his stomach. That tall man, he had followed Crowley off the practice field. 

Could this have been Castiel’s fault? 

“Isn’t that the creepy dude that kept asking you out?” Gabrielle inquired 

Cas nodded in confirmation, continuing to look at the screen.

Neck broken Friday night, found by host family Saturday morning, parent’s in Europe notified, funeral arrangements to be announced, how could this happen in our small town, etc. etc. etc.

“Geez, his neck was snapped” Michael breathed, “who does that?”

“A psycho, obviously” Lucifer answered

“We should go to his service” suggested Samandriel

Castiel’s head shot up at that advice. Um…no…

“Come on, Cas. The guy majorly crushed on you, we should at least go and pay our respects to his family.” The youngest Engelmann continued.   
With that, Castiel shook his head and escaped to his room. Seeing creepy Crowley in his coffin with a broken neck was high on his list of ‘things not to do’. 

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean hadn’t expected the strange kid’s death to be so newsworthy. The community declaring it a ‘shock’ and a ‘tragedy’. The Hunter didn’t live in town, ‘never shit where you eat’ kind of thing. All his pets came from different counties, no sense in drawing attention to his collecting. 

He never kept more than 4 pets at any given time. Most he killed when he tired of them, a few he felt safe enough to release, being too traumatized to provide assistance in catching their abductor.

Currently, he possessed two specimens, both female

Lisa, 25 year old yoga instructor. Man, is she bendy. She’s been with him for almost a month, whines every day about her little boy and how he needs her. 

Pathetic

Cassie, 22 year old reporter. Gorgeous body, he’s been keeping company with her for about 10 days. She was a cocky little bitch, kept running her mouth about how people would be looking for her, she was important. 

Laughable 

Lisa had broken right away, Cassie was still fighting. Frankly, she was pissing him off. Lisa had a chance at getting released; a threat to her kid would secure her silence. Cassie, she may not live through the night. 

Dean had to work the weekend, no time to stalk his newest prey or train his pets. However, he did visit Lisa at night, enjoying her flexibility as she wept

Tasty

 

THE PREY

 

School Monday morning consisted of whispers and rumors surrounding Crowley’s death. The principal announced of the loud speaker that counselling would be available for anyone grieving. All of a sudden, everyone claimed to be Crowley’s good friend, he was such a great guy, why would anyone do this.

Blah blah blah

Castiel spent his school day as he always did, sat in the back of class, did his work, and ate by himself, under a tree, at lunchtime. Sitting in the empty bleachers reading as his older brothers’ practice, waiting impatiently for a ride home. He really needed that license.

He was watching a few birds, munching stale popcorn off the ground, glancing at his brothers tackling or whatever it was they do, when he spotted a familiar brown jacket by the fence. He couldn’t see the man’s face, he was positioned towards the field, but the hair, jacket and jeans were enough to recognize him as the stranger from Friday night. Cas couldn’t tear his eyes away; curious and a bit unsettled, thinking this guy may have been the one that snapped Crowley’s neck. Brown jacket turned, walking down the sidelines, and then glanced up at Castiel. Cas’s heart stopped and his face flooded hot. The man simply nodded at him, casually walking out of sight.

It wasn’t until he couldn’t see him anymore that Castiel realized he had been holding his breath, and hadn’t even nodded back at the man. Cas was shy to a fault, but prided himself on being polite. Staring at the guy with his mouth open, not returning the acknowledgement was rude. He needs to apologize if he ever saw him again. He kind of hoped he would. 

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean relished the look on the boy’s face when he spotted him. Castiel seemed surprised and a little afraid. 

Mmmmmmm 

The Hunter spent the next month, watching, waiting, and learning everything he could about his newest prey. He gave Castiel more time than any of his previous victims. The anticipation was as appetizing as the capture. 

Saturdays and Sundays, Cas’s family scattered, leaving the boy alone from around noon, until the housekeeper came in at 4pm. On the eighth Saturday of surveillance, Dean invited himself in through the back door the moment his obstacles left. He had been in the home several times before, knew the layout with his eyes closed. He located Castiel in his bedroom, earbuds on, typing on his computer with his back to the door.

It was like the boy was waiting for him.

Stealthy, silently, The Hunter approached his prey, armed with a single white cloth, soaked in chloroform. Dean proudly made the compound himself, reaction time cut in half, effects lasting twice as long. 

Wrapping his forearm around Castiel’s neck as he blanketed his nose and mouth with the rag.

Castiel fought harder than the Hunter had expected. He shook his head, clawed at arms around his neck and face, screaming in to the cloth. This, of course, labored his breathing, inhaling the solution quicker and promptly losing consciousness. 

The beautiful boy looked positively angelic, eyes closed, face passive, as Dean carried him bridal style out the back door, through the yard, in to the alleyway to his Impala. He had lined the trunk with pillows and blankets, his pets need to be pampered. Placing his prey’s limp body inside, he grinned with triumph and adoration before clicking the lid closed. 

Leaving Castiel in the darkness, he drove nonchalantly home. Obeying every speed limit, stopping at every stop sign. 

He had all the time in the world…


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel climbed slowly out of the darkness. His head pounded, his mouth, cotton dry and a stale scent of sweet ether clogged his sinuses. He opened his azure eyes cautiously, the light stabbing him in his temples, he whimpered as he lowered his lids. However, a deep vibrating voice forced him to ignore his discomfort and sit up hastily, wide eyed with fear.   
> “Hello Castiel”

THE PREY 

Castiel climbed slowly out of the darkness. His head pounded, his mouth, cotton dry and a stale scent of sweet ether clogged his sinuses. He opened his azure eyes cautiously, the light stabbing him in his temples, he whimpered as he lowered his lids. However, a deep vibrating voice forced him to ignore his discomfort and sit up hastily, wide eyed with fear. 

“Hello Castiel” 

He was on a bed, a small metal bed, in a gray cinder block walled room, looking at a green eyed man smile. 

“You were out a lot longer than the others; I was beginning to think you wouldn’t wake up”

Cas swallowed hard, eyes darting around the room.   
What the hell happened? Where the fuck was he?   
He took a breath in with the intention of asking these very questions when the man interrupted. 

“You’ll probably have a pretty bad headache for a while. You should drink a lot of water” 

The guy nodded his head towards a bottle of water on a solitary table by the bed.

Yeah, like Castiel would willingly drink anything right now. 

Instead, he stared at the man. His voice was familiar, eyes too, but he couldn’t place them. It was like having a word stuck to the end of your tongue. 

“Drink the water” the stranger repeated in a harsher tone “First thing you’re going to have to learn, disobedience equals punishment” 

Ok, Castiel was scared. 

Terrified. 

This dude was way bigger than him, older and stronger and obviously unbalanced. Cas reluctantly picked up the bottle and drank the water down complete.

“Good boy”

He kept watch of the man as he set the bottle down, curled his legs to his chest and hugged his knees. He would never understand why he felt safer this way, wasn’t really protecting anything, but it helped.

“You’re frightened” 

Duh 

The boy nodded, keeping his eyes locked with his captor’s. Green eyes, luminous really, he thought he might appreciate them under different circumstances.

“That’s good. Real good. Fear will keep you alive, Castiel” 

Yep, dude was definitely unbalanced. Every time he said Cas’s name, it felt increasingly threatening. The boy arched his eyebrows, asking ‘why’ without making a noise.

“You see, if you’re too afraid to disobey, I won’t have to discipline you. Too scared to try and escape, I won’t have to cut you, too scared to answer questions about me; I may be able to let you go when we’re done” 

Castiel almost asked. 

He almost asked ‘done with what’ but he knew. He knew and he sure the hell didn’t want to hear it said out loud. Instead, he bowed his head slightly in understanding. 

“You’re doing well, Castiel. I hoped you would. I’ve waited a long time for you, sweetheart”

(((((sweetheart))))  
(((((you’re welcome sweetheart)))))  
Friday night football game, practice field, Crowley, stranger in a brown leather jacket,   
(((((you’re welcome sweetheart)))))

Oh… 

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean sensed the exact moment Castiel remembered who he was. He smiled at the boy sweetly. 

“I’ve been keeping an eye on you for a while. Considering your dislike for that English kid, I didn’t think you’d mind much if I got rid of him for you” 

The Hunter didn’t think his new pet could appear any more terrified than he had a moment ago. He was wrong. All the blood drained from Cas’s face and the first of many quiet tears appeared.

Dean moved off the chair and on to the bed, the boy pressed himself closer to the wall. Dean reached out; ignoring Castiel’s flinching, to cup his pet’s face. 

“I was protecting you, sweetheart. I had to keep you safe for me.”

The boy attempted to pull away, Dean’s hand gripped underneath his jaw, forcing his head up, leaning in close 

“You’re mine. You do not resist or hide from me. Do you understand?”

Castiel nodded with a sniffle. 

“I want you to answer me out loud from now on. I love your voice, it’s angelic. You refer to me as ‘sir’ or ‘master’. Is that clear?”

“Yes sir” 

Immediate obedience. His voice alone could make Dean hard as a rock. 

God. 

He was perfect.

He studied the boy, trembling with fear, curled in to himself, gorgeous blue eyes anticipating.

Dean moved closer, pulling his arms from hugging his knees, pushing his legs down, tugging his ankles roughly until the boy lay flat on his back. He offered no resistance or defiance, closed his eyes but Dean could forgive that. 

This time.

He straddled his new pet, hands propped on either side of his head, lowering his face down to brush a soft, feather-like kiss on those perfect, pink bow lips.

Castiel whimpered, kept his eyes closed, but didn’t move.

“Such a good boy for me, sweetheart. You’re going to make me very happy” 

Dean kissed him again, firmer this time, increasing pressure, running his tongue over entrance. 

“Open for me, baby” 

His pet obeyed, slower this time, mouth opening ever so slightly. He licked and tasted and massaged Castiel’s mouth with his tongue. 

Delicious. 

He wanted more, he needed more.

He became more aggressive, crushing their mouths together, sweeping his tongue through every possible spot, teeth clashing, lips swollen and bruised. He pulled away panting, appreciating the sapphire hue as Cas opened his eyes.

Dean smiled, caressing the onyx curls off of his prize’s forehead

“How many boys have you kissed?”

Castiel, forcing himself to keep his eyes open, shook his head

“Use your words, baby”

Gulping “No one, sir” 

The Hunter grinned proudly, leaning down to whisper in Cas’s ear

“I’m your first kiss. I am going to teach you so much more”

A quick peck on the boy’s cheek, Dean hopped off the bed, gazing down at his trophy 

“You should rest awhile, I’ll be back with dinner, you’ll feel better once you’ve eaten” 

Adjusting his diamond crushing hard on, he left the boy alone in his cage, clicking the lock loudly behind him.

 

THE PREY 

 

Castiel lay on the small cot-like bed, breathing heavily, trying in vain to calm down. He found himself, oddly enough, grateful. Grateful that the man had only kissed him. He knew it wasn’t going to stop there, he also knew the guy could’ve beaten him, stripped him and shoved his dick in his ass without warning. So far Cas had been scared shitless, but hadn’t actually been hurt.

He slowly sat up on the mattress, taking a closer look at his room. A small wooden table with a single wooden chair in one corner, his cot with a nightstand in the next, a toilet-sink combination, the kind he had seen in prison movies, in the third, and lastly, a thick door with a small mesh-lined window.  
High above him, a drop ceiling with unforgiving florescent lights. The walls and floors were gray, cement, no windows or decorations, an air vent close to the floor between the table and chair, a cold air return on the wall above his bed. His cot, pale blue sheets, fluffy gray comforter, bedframe bolted to the floor.

The man was right about one thing, his head was pounding, veins in his temples throbbing in rhythm with his heartbeat. He was supposed to be resting, so he lay himself back down on the airy blanket and rolled to face the wall. That’s when the tears came back. He cried softly at first, weeping turning to sobbing, whimpers echoing around the room.

He heard a woman’s voice, so quiet, so far away, he was positive he imagined it. Forcing him to swallow down his bawling, he listened closer. The voice returned, still too inaudible to understand. Castiel sat up, trying to slow his breathing, concentrating on the noise. It echoed and distorted, but sounded something like “don’t cry” and “he likes it when we cry”.

Moving off the bed, Cas crouched to the floor, searching for the source, finding the feminine tone reverbing from the air vent by the table. He sat against the wall next to it, waiting to see if the sound would repeat.

“Can you hear me? Don’t cry. Don’t give him the satisfaction. Can you hear me? My name is Cassie. Talk to me”

He didn’t know who ‘Cassie’ was, or why she was talking to him through a vent, if she was even talking to him, she could be having a conversation with someone else, who knows. Regardless of all of this, Castiel had no intention of responding. Paranoia at its best, the man could be setting a trap or testing his reaction to possible assistance. If this person was, indeed, in the same situation as Cas, she was obviously just as trapped as he was. If disobeying caused punishment, and escape attempts meant cutting, he became pretty certain whispering through the air vent at another hostage was frowned upon.

With that decision made, exhaustion and a still-throbbing cranium, Castiel climbed back to his bed, cuddled up under grayness and closed his eyes. He wasn’t crying anymore, falling asleep swiftly, and welcoming the blackness. 

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean listened closely to Cassie’s pathetic attempts to communicate with Castiel. He smirked to himself when, after several minutes of trying, the bitch was ignored and gave up.

Good boy 

He would have to go to work in a few hours, he didn’t want to rush his first time with his new pet, so he would make dinner and vent his sexual frustrations with Cassie, since she was itching for punishment anyway. 

He switched the news on as he cooked, barely comprehending the weather report or sports update, when the anchorwoman announced 

“In other news, Castiel Engelmann, son of Senator Charles Engelmann, has been reported missing. According to reports, the 15 year old high school freshman was home alone this afternoon, and although it has only been a few hours, authorities do not believe the boy is a runaway. The Senator and his wife, pediatric physician Doctor Rebecca Rosen-Engelmann are asking anyone with information regarding their son to contact the FBI at 1-800- ………”

Dean watched Castiel’s year book picture flash on to the screen with the FBI’s contact information scrolling below it. The boy didn’t smile, looking off to the left instead of at the camera, cobalt eyes enhanced by a cloudy-sky themed background. 

Always so gorgeous.

The Hunter was aware his latest capture would be newsworthy, but he didn’t think it would be broadcasted within hours of possession. Not that it mattered, Castiel was his now. Let them search, he had been hunting for almost 10 years now, never even coming close to being caught. 

Good hunters never get hunted themselves.

Dean prepared three trays of food, all on paper plates with plastic silverware, all with bottles of water but only one with bag of almond M&Ms, Castiel’s favorite. Balancing them on top of one another, he ascended the basement stairs, settled the trays on a tool bench as he pulled an empty refrigerator away from the wall. Pushing the paneling behind it, a hidden doorway opened to a second set of stairs. Rearranging the trays once again, he made his way down to the lower level. A cement floor hallway, two rooms on each side, he set the dinners down in front of the three occupied cells. 

The Hunter unlocked and entered Lisa’s room first, the woman sitting in the corner, knees to chest, rocking. Dean rolled his eyes, set her food on her table and left without a word. She was becoming unstable, he should release her soon.

Second room was Castiel’s. The boy slept, curled in to a fetal position, facing the wall. Dean set his food on the table, lowered himself on the mattress next to Cas, running his fingers reverently through those breath-taking black waves. Only a minute or so later, blue eyes opened sleepily and his pet rolled on to his back, to look up at him. 

“Hello Castiel. Dinner is on the table, I expect you to eat all of it. Understood?”

Cas started to nod, corrected himself and after clearing his throat,

“Yes, sir” 

“Good boy” continuing to stroke those onyx locks, “I’ll be gone the rest of the night. You should eat and rest up; we have a lot to do tomorrow” 

His pet pushed himself up to a seated position as Dean rose to exit the room

“Good night, sweetheart” 

“Good night, sir” voice barely above a whisper, tone trembling

So, so, nice

The Hunter entered Cassie’s room, the tray promptly knocked out of his hands and the girl attacked him. She did this each and every time, weighing all of 100 lbs. and standing 5’2, it was like batting a fly away. He let the food fall to the floor. Gripping her tightly by the throat, he shoved her in to the hard, unforgiving wall. Spitting at her through clenched teeth

“You just never learn, do you, whore? You think there is nothing worse than me fucking you?”

Her light brown eyes glared at him as his hands tightened around neck, cutting off her airway completely.

“I heard you. Heard you talking to my sweetheart. Did you think he would trust you? Think he would listen to your lies? Stupid bitch, you’ve disobeyed for the last time” 

Folding both hands around her neck, he squeezed, enjoying the bulging of her eyes as the capillaries burst, turning the whites to specks of red. She pulled and scratched at his fingers, desperately clawing for air. He studied her, observing every single bit of strength leave her perfect body. Realization that she was about to die spreading across her face, that hopelessness, that terror, made him come in his pants.

When the pulse under his thumbs disappeared, he continued to choke her through the aftershocks of death, and then released her. She fell in a lifeless heap at his feet. He stared down at her, feeling powerful,

God-like. 

When his blood pressure approached somewhere near normal, he stepped towards the door, suddenly pissed that he hadn’t taken the time to use her body once more before killing her. Now he didn’t have time to clean up this mess before work.

Damn it


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Working overnights always seemed to make his 12 hours shift seems like 24. Dean hadn’t been able to stop thinking about his new pet, of all the wonderful things he wanted to teach the boy.

THE PREY 

 

Castiel had moved from his bed to the table to eat like he had been instructed to do. He heard a voice from the vent again, not a females. Listening closer, he determined it was the man’s voice. He sounded as though he was growling, followed by thumping and then, silence. Cas sat very still and listened a few moments, then resumed picking at his food. Discovering his favorite candy under the napkin, should’ve made him a tiny bit happier, but the knowledge the man knew that much about him, made his stomach turn.

After eating, relieving himself and straightening the bed, Castiel was at a complete loss of what to do. He wanted to sleep, no clue what time it was, if it was even still Saturday, how long the man would be gone. He lay on the cot, counting the drop ceiling panels above him, with that number acknowledged, he proceeded to count the cylinder blocks on the four walls. Anything to keep himself from thinking about what would happen when the green-eyed man returned, not to consider what his parents and brothers were doing right now. Anna, she would’ve been the first person to notice he was missing.

The counting was monotonous enough to make him sleepy, abruptly, the lights shut off, the room dropped in to complete blackness. Fluorescents must’ve been on a timer but the unexpected ‘click’ and loss of light jump started his anxiety again and it was some time before he was collected enough to doze off.

Castiel dreamt about Friday night football, empty field, music in his ears, Crowley standing next to him as the stranger broke the boy’s neck and grinned back at him.   
He woke with a start, heart racing and head pounding. 

The lights were back on. 

Did that mean it was morning or that the man was back? He relieved himself, splashed water on his face, cupping a bit to hydrate his cotton mouth. Out of habit, and a slight case of OCD, he made the bed.

Cas was sitting crossed legged on the cot, back braced against the wall, wishing for a book to rescue him from boredom when the door opened. ‘Sir’ entered carrying another tray. 

 

THE HUNTER

 

Working overnights always seemed to make his 12 hours shift seems like 24. Dean hadn’t been able to stop thinking about his new pet, of all the wonderful things he wanted to teach the boy.

 

His beauty sat quietly on the cot, those gorgeous eyes looking up expectantly. 

“Good morning, Castiel”

“Good morning, Sir” 

“Sleep well, sweetheart?” 

“Yes, sir” 

He replaced the old tray with a new one, noting the candy left. Dean’s voice turned gruff 

“You didn’t eat the treat I gave you”

His prey swallowed a few times before answering

“I was saving them, sir. They’re my favorite” 

Good boy 

“Eat your breakfast, sweetheart.”

Dean left to delivery Lisa’s food to her. She hadn’t moved from yesterday’s spot. Her dinner sat cold, untouched. It smelled as if she had soiled herself. Wrinkling his nose, he set breakfast down, crouched in front of the woman

“Lisa?” 

She continued to stare at nothing, pupils blown, and the smallest of smirks on her face. 

Yep, she was gone.

Scooping her up, carrying her upstairs to his bathroom. He bathed and dressed his broken pet, she remained pliant and unresponsive. Transferring her out to the garage, passenger seat of the Impala drove her to a local fire station. Setting her gently on the curb, still no life in those deep brown eyes, he kissed her forehead and left. 

She had been a good pet.

Dean returned home and showered, thinking that he had lost two pets since bringing his sweetheart here. He should be out hunting for replacements, but all of his desires were concentrated on the blue eyed boy downstairs.

 

THE PREY

 

Castiel had finished eating and was obsessing about seriously needing a shower and a change of clothes when his door opened again. ‘Sir’ gave him a sad smile, reaching in his pocket

“I brought you a present, sweetheart” 

Cas swallowed loudly, uncertain if any present from his captor was something he would want. He tried to hide his delight when the man handed him an IPod and earbuds.

He exhaled loudly, “Thank you, sir” making eye contact to convey sincerity.

The man stepped closer, cupping the boy’s face, leaning down to kiss him tenderly. He pushed closer, backing him up against the cot until Castiel was forced to sit down on the mattress’s edge. The man remained standing, gazing down with those deep green eyes, full of lust. When he wordlessly unzipped his jeans, his crotch in front of the boy’s face, Cas focused on the wall behind him.

“First lesson, my pet” ‘Sir’ said, pulling his hard cock out, holding it level to the boy’s mouth.

“Open, sweetheart” came a husky order.

Castiel closed his eyes tightly, told himself he had to survive, and obeyed. 

The man traced the outline of Cas’s pink lips with the tip, smearing pre-come like lip gloss. Slowly guiding his member inside, laying it heavy on his pet’s tongue.   
It tasted of soap and a little sweat, salty. He paused, not sure of what to do next.

“Lick it baby, make me feel good”

He lapped around the member, under the head and over the slit, continuing as he listened for further instruction. ‘Sir’ inhaled sharply and moaned, stroking Cas’s hair. He should be embarrassed, humiliated, ashamed or angry. He wasn’t any of these things and wouldn’t allow himself to consider why.

“Such a good boy, Castiel. Close your mouth around me and suck gently” 

Always compliant he pressed his lips around the man’s dick, sucking softly, head bobbing slowly back in forth making ‘Sir’ groan and praise. He snapped his hips forward, forcing his cock to the back of Cas’s mouth, making him gag.

“Relax your throat, baby. Breathe through your nose. You’re doing so good, sweetheart. So good.”

The boy followed instruction exactly, eyes watering but trying so hard to keep the man happy. His captor moaned louder, gripping his hair to pull him in closer, fucking his mouth. 

“I’m going to come” he growled, throwing his head back, “swallow all of it baby, it’s all for you” 

Cas whimpered as the first spurt of hotness hit the back of his tongue, he swallowed and kept on swallowing, willing himself not to gag, until the man’s shudders and cries of ecstasy faded. 

He pulled off, panting and coughing, as ‘Sir’ tucked himself away and zipped up.

The man reached down, cupping the boy’s face, grinning proudly 

“You are perfect. Absolutely perfect.” 

Why did Castiel feel so proud when his captor commended him? Shouldn’t he be disgusted or defiant? 

The man kissed his check, then announced “I think you deserve a reward” 

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean was so pleased with his pet’s performance. He pulled the boy to his feet, reached behind to his back pocket and brought out a blue bandana. Castiel looked perplexed; the Hunter smiled and tied the cloth tightly around those enchanting sapphire eyes.

“I’m taking you upstairs so you can shower, would you like that?” 

The boy blindly nodded 

“Use your words” he correctly gently

“Yes, Sir, I would like that very much. Thank you” 

Always so polite

Delectable

He guided Cas carefully up the stairs to the basement, changing directions then leading him up the second set to the main floor. He hardly ever brought a pet up here. Normally he would humiliate them by washing them himself in their cells. This prize was different, better, more precious. He would pamper him. 

Leading him down the hall to a large bathroom, he shut the door before removing the boy’s blindfold. Castiel blinked several times, adjusting to the change in lighting and taking inventory of the room.

A huge corner bathtub, a separate shower, sink, toilet, hamper, trash can and closet, it was bigger than the cages downstairs. Reaching in the closet, Dean produced a small, plastic basket stocked with toiletries, a large red bath towel and a pair of boxers with a t-shirt, similar to the style he had found in Cas’s own dresser.

Tilting his head down to catch the boy’s eyes with his own, he warned 

“The only way out of this room is the door, no chance for escape. You won’t find anything in here to use as a weapon against me or to harm yourself. If you betray my trust, you won’t be allowed back. You’ll have to wash yourself in that tiny sink in your room. Am I clear, Castiel?”

The boy began to nod, caught himself and answered “Yes sir, I understand” 

Dean pecked his precious pet on the cheek again, leaving him alone in the bathroom. He paused by outside the door until he heard water running, and then moved to the living room. The recliner had a straight view down the hall; he could watch the door from here. Clicking on the TV, he enjoyed an episode of Dr.Sexy before he heard the shower shut down. 

A brief news update during a commercial break flashed Castiel’s picture again and a clip from a press conference showing a weeping doctor and senator. Their direct pleas with their son’s abductor were meant to pull at his heartstrings and make him consider giving his trophy back. He chuckled at the pathetic attempt; nothing they could say or do would make him return such a precious pet.

Switching the television off, he heard a quiet “Sir?” coming from behind the bathroom door. Dean beamed proudly; the boy didn’t leave the room without his permission. Every time he thought the delicate beauty was perfect, he did something else to confirm that belief, and it was only his second day.

The Hunter returned to his prey, drinking in the wet curls sticking to his forehead and the t-shirt clinging to his damp skin.

Breathtaking 

Giving an approving nod, he tugged the bandana back across the boy’s eyes. Standing there for a moment, appreciating how small, refined and slightly feminine Castiel was, the boy waiting motionless for instruction. Dean had a sudden change of heart.

He removed the blue fabric from Cas’s face, amused at the confused expression; he took his hand instead, leading him across the hall to the master bedroom.

The Hunter could only recall bringing two other pets up to his room, ones he kept for quite some time and earned their way here. Something about this boy was different; he wanted his sweetheart with him as much as possible. His baby in the cell downstairs while he stayed up here alone, didn’t make sense to Dean anymore. 

He enjoyed Castiel’s company too much.

 

THE PREY

 

Castiel trembled as the man guided him to the bedroom. A king size four poster bed, draped in black and white bedding dominated the space, matching curtains covered a large window, walls were white, several scones spaced out across them. 

The bed.

The man’s bedroom.

This meant it was about to happen. 

He knew it could’ve been much earlier, yet he had hoped it would be a few more days. He promised himself he wouldn’t cry or beg. His fear overpowering his pride, tears burned his eyes without his permission.

‘Sir’ pulled the blankets back, directing him to lie down. He complied nervously. His captor straddled his body, locking eyes with him then kissing him. Cas’s kissing skills were improving; he reciprocated shyly, with the hope that compliance would result in gentleness. 

The man murmured endearments, compliments and moans as he moved his mouth across Castiel’s jawline, down his neck, over his shoulder. Tugging his t-shirt up, ‘Sir’ licked then blew lightly across the boy’s sensitive nipples, producing goosebumps all over his body. Pulling the waistband of the boy’s boxers, encouraging him to lift his hips, his captor removed them completely.

Cas blushed furiously when his hardening cock was exposed. Why was he turned on? He was terrified; didn’t his dick get the message from his brain? The man, however, was overjoyed at his state of arousal.

“So hard for me, already, sweetheart. Relax. Let me make you feel good. I can make you feel so good, Castiel” 

With that said, the man took him entirely in to his mouth in one swallow. Shocked, Cas thrust his hips and arched his back on pure instinct. ‘Sir’s’ amused sound vibrated around his cock, instilling the boy to thrust up again and cry out. Castiel had masturbated plenty of times, at 15 that was an obvious conclusion to make, but never imagined the sweet intensity of a warm mouth around him, a moist tongue running over the sensitive slit, then down to lick his balls so enthusiastically.

The man expertly stroked and sucked, Cas could think of nothing else but the feelings in his body. He recognized a familiar tightening sensation in his stomach,

“Sir” he panted harshly “I’m going to…. I’m almost….” 

His captor heard and responded by swallowing him down deeper, tracing his finger lightly over his hole and humming.

Castiel came.

Hard.

His entire body locked up for one intense moment, then there was a wonderful release, waves and waves of rapture flowed through him. He never thought it would stop, he never wanted it to. He thought nothing of where he was or who he was with, only aware of mind numbing pleasure.

After the man had licked off every bit of semen, he dressed Cas as if he were a small child. Climbing under the blankets with him, he pulled to boy against him, back to chest. Wrapping his arm securely around his waist, he inhaled deeply, smelling Castiel’s neck and whispering gently in his ear.

“Rest, sweetheart”

Cas, shocked that this would go no further. His body stupidly relaxed , his mind fatigued and struggling, he softly replied.

“Yes, sir”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He had never had a pet stay with him as he slept. Always secured those downstairs, insuring no chance of escape. He listened to the boy’s slow, steady breathing, indicating he was still asleep, he concluded the Castiel could’ve tried to leave the bed, or find the front door. His favorite pet had remained obediently with his master.

THE HUNTER

Dean fell asleep with the boy’s beautiful body in his arms. It way just past noon, working midnights and finding release with Cas, he was exhausted. Several hours later, he woke with sweet smelling black hair in his nose. He grinned to himself, and then frowned. 

He had never had a pet stay with him as he slept. Always secured those downstairs, insuring no chance of escape. He listened to the boy’s slow, steady breathing, indicating he was still asleep, he concluded the Castiel could’ve tried to leave the bed, or find the front door. 

His favorite pet had remained obediently with his master.

He found himself proud, but worried. Trusting that his baby would always be compliant was a good way to lose him. Dean couldn’t help himself, the boy belonged to him. 

Hugging him tighter, thinking 

“MINE” 

The stronger grip pulled the boy from slumber; he felt the boy freeze, remembering where he was. The Hunter leaned close, laying small kisses on his shoulder before whispering

“So perfect. Such a good boy for me” 

He sensed Cas relaxing a bit. 

“Let’s go make lunch, baby”

They fell in to a routine after that. Every morning after work, Dean would blindfold his pet and guide him upstairs. The blindfold’s only purpose was to keep Cas from knowing how to escape the cages on his own. 

The made breakfast together, showered together, exchanging mutual blow-jobs, cuddling up in Dean’s bed, napping until late afternoon. Making lunch, watching Dr. Sexy, the Hunter chipped away at Castiel’s shyness, coaxing the boy to talk more. Always polite, always addressing him as “Sir”. After dinner, he blinded his baby again, leading him back to his cell. 

Cas tried to hide his sadness ever time but Dean felt it guiltily. The boy stayed up all night so he could sleep with his master during the day. Dean loaded his IPod with all his favorite music, brought him books from the library, eventually purchasing school texts so Castiel could keep up with his studies

The Hunter would then dress for work, locking up his house and setting the alarm. His spent his shift recalling their conversations, thinking of the boy’s perfect body and beautiful face.

 

THE PREY

 

Castiel had no way of figuring out how long he had been with ‘Sir’. He knew from watching the evening news with him that the search for the missing Engelmann boy had faded in importance. Authorities reported statistically, kidnap victims not recover within 48 hours are rarely kept alive. 

Seemed they had given up. 

He should be upset about that, but he wasn’t and wouldn’t allow himself to ask ‘why’.

He studied every night, anticipating the return of his captor. He cooked with the man, allowed to use the fire on the stove and the sharp knives to chop, never once considering attacking ‘Sir’. On days off, they spent hours making out on the couch, just kissing, nibbling and caressing.

It was one of those lazy days on the sofa when his master stood up, taking him by the hand and guiding him to the bedroom. He continued to kiss him, pulling of his clothes (t-shirt and boxer, never anything more), laying him tenderly on the bed. Cas’s breathe quickened and the sharp edges of panic stabbed at his heart as the man undressed himself as well. His cock, thick and hard between his legs, he straddled Castiel’s waist.

Never breaking eye contact, ‘Sir’ reached over to the drawer in his night stand, producing a blue bottle. Lube. 

No doubt now, this was going to happen. 

The boy knew it would eventually, still finding himself unprepared and afraid. His captor spread the gel over his middle finger before sliding it to the first knuckle inside Cas’s hole. He inhaled loudly, body instinctively tensing up at the intrusion.

“Shhh, baby. Relax. Let me in”

Castiel forced himself to exhale, closing his eyes and attempting to convince his body to submit. The man pushed in further, the second knuckle, began to pump slowly, twisting to spread the lube. Digit removed, the man applied more gel before pushing back inside, adding a second finger, Cas cried out at the burning sensation. 

“It’s ok, sweetheart, I’ll take care of you” 

The boy gulped, pushing his head further back, staring at the ceiling. He felt ‘Sir’ turn his fingers again, and then spread them apart, scissoring inside him. More lube, a third finger pumping in and almost out of him, Castiel was sure he would burst.

Tugging his fingers out, the man leaned in to whisper in his ear

“You’re doing so well, baby. I need you to try and relax, deep breaths, let me have you”

Cas nodded slightly, would answer out loud like he was supposed to but couldn’t find his voice.

With a kiss to the tip of his nose, the man sat up, coating his dick with a generous amount of lube, squirting more gel in to his hand before smearing it around and inside his pet.   
He lined his cock up to Castiel’s hole, pushed in slowly, ever so slowly but the burning raw pain was still too intense. Cas gripped the sheets tightly, pulling the up from the mattress, pressing his heels to the bed in an attempt to move away only to have his hips gripped and a growl echo through the room 

“Stay still, Castiel. You’re mine, I need you”

Cas whimpered, lying back as the first hot tear ran from the corner of his eye, down to rest in his hair. He tried so hard to stay quiet, not to move, concentrating on breathing as ‘Sir’ pushed further inside, inch by inch. When he was fully seated, the boy lost his will to stay silent and made a sound somewhere between a scream and a sob.

“It’s ok, baby. It’s ok. Relax and don’t hold your breath. It’ll feel better in a minute”

Castiel attempted to obey, the feeling of fullness, stretching and raw pain distracting him from inhaling, he forced himself to blow out the air. Sucking his lips in over his teeth, he kept his eyes closed, hand moving from the sheets to the pillows beneath him, opening and shutting around the cushion.

“Good boy, so good for me sweetheart” 

Pumping started, slow, gentle, the man’s breath becoming ragged as he continued to whisper endearments

“So tight, baby. So warm. Just for me, made just for me, mine…all mine….” 

Thrusts became quicker, harder, and deeper as Cas’s tear became more plenty and his cries of pain louder. The ‘Sir’s’ girth hit a spot inside him, a spike of unexpected please shocked him and he opened his eyes wide.

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean studied his precious pet’s face when his cock brushed against the boy’s prostate. Smirking, he pounded against the bundle of nerves while stroking Cas’s dick with his still slick hand.

He loved the way the boy’s sounds morphed from pain to pleasure, finding it harder to delay his release when his prize raised his hips slightly with every thrust.

Castiel came hard, thick white stripes painting across his stomach and chest. He cried out loudly, the word “Sir” on his tongue, his hole convulsing around Dean’s cock

That was it.

The Hunter orgasmed with an animalistic growl, come spurting inside the boy as waves of pleasure crashed over him. He chased his ecstasy to the very end, collapsing heavily on to his pet.

Several moments passed nothing but ragged breathing and gasps echoing through the room. Dean moved his head to the side, kissing Cas’s shoulder, his neck, moving up to his ear to murmur

“You’re so perfect for me, sweetheart. I’m going to keep you forever”

He licked the boy’s tears away, placing soft kisses on each one of his eyelids, before awarding those gorgeous pink lips with more. Blue eyes open, wet with residual pain and fear, locking with the Hunter’s green ones. They simply stared at each other for a while, Dean witness Castiel relaxing, giving in to the intimacy of the moment. He kissed him, slow, sweet and gentle.

Moving to stand from the bed, he reached out his hand, gingerly pulling his pet to his feet. Cas whimpered in discomfort, body limply falling against Dean. The Hunter caught him, scooped him up lovingly, carrying him in to the bathroom.

No words were spoken as he ran a hot bath in the generously sized bathtub. Guiding Castiel in, he lowered himself behind his pet, encouraging him to recline, back against chest. He washed his hair, massaging his scalp and smirking as the boy eased against him. Rinsing with clean water, he soaped up the wash rag and kindly cleansed his body, coaxing him forward on to his knees so he could tenderly wash his swollen hole. A minuet amount of blood on the clothe, he moved the boy back against him, murmuring sweet words in his ear

“You’re perfect Castiel. Do you have any idea how beautiful you are? How precious you are to me? I took you because I wanted you, now I believe I need you. You did so well, so good for me.”

His prize didn’t respond verbally, sighing softly as his head lolled back against Dean’s shoulder. The Hunter felt the boy dozing off, lured him out of the tub, toweling him off like a child, taking a limping Cas back to bed, naked. He tucked the boy in sweetly, caressing his face and delivering a peck on his cheek as he watched Castiel drift in to slumber

 

THE PREY

 

Castile woke about an hour later, sore and aching. He sat up slowly, found his clothes on the floor and dressed. Timidly shuffling down the hallway to find ‘Sir’ on the phone. He smiled and waved the boy in, patting the cushion next to him. Cas limped over, the pain in his ass shooting up his spine with every step. The man stuck out his bottom lip in sympathy. The boy settled in next to him, leaning in as an arm wrapped around his shoulder.

“Yes, Sammy, I miss you too. I just don’t think now is a good time to visit. I’m on the midnight shift and only have a couple vacation days saved up. I know, it’s been awhile, no, I have no intention of calling Dad. Look, I gotta go, my pet needs tending to. Yeah, just one right now. You have 5? What the hell, dude? You told me never more than 4. It still counts if you take a married couple, Sammy. Yeah, yeah, I’ll talk to you later.”

Cas couldn’t believe his ears. Not only did ‘Sir’ have him as a pet, this ‘Sammy’ person kept pets too. There didn’t seem to be any secrets between the two. The guy took a married couple? That was ballsy. 

“That was my brother, Sam. He’s probably going to pop in next month whether I want him to or not. I think you’ll like him. He always enjoys seeing my pets, but don’t worry, I never was good at sharing”

That was supposed to make him feel better, instead it planted the concept in Cas’s mind and he felt nervous. He hadn’t seen anyone but his captor in months. He wasn’t sure he wanted to. The boy’s entire world had become ‘Sir” and this house. 

Life outside, life before this was an alternate universe, inconceivable and fading from his memory. 

Their days continued the same; the man only fucked him on his days off. He was always slow, gentle and considerate. They explored every position, christened every room, the discomfort lessening as Castiel learned to enjoy it. 

Found himself looking forward to it.

The man spent a day off installing cameras in every room, showing Cas how he could monitor them from his cell phone. The Prey listened as he explained the new door sensors as well, if the front door or garage door opened, ‘Sir’ would be notified by text message and could be home within minutes.

“Am I in danger, Sir?” 

The man chuckled, “No, sweetheart. I want you to stay upstairs when I go to work. I hate the idea of you locked in that room. This way, I can see you whenever I want, and you can be comfortable.”

Castiel made no attempt to hide his surprise, or his appreciation. For the first time, he initiated contact between them, throwing his arms around ‘Sir’s’ neck and kissing him, his smile making it clumsily.

The man seemed even happier than him. Holding Cas in a tight embrace for several minutes. 

“I know you’ll be a good boy for me, Castiel”

“Yes, sir” gifting his captor with a sincere grin.

‘Sir’ trusted him. 

‘Sir’ cared about him

He never wanted to leave ‘Sir’


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He had been gone from the real world for 7 months, according to Sam. That meant it was sometime in April. His birthday was in February, indicating he was now 16 years old. Cas had briefly considered asking Dean before what time of year it was, but it never seemed that important

THE HUNTER

 

As predicted, Sam showed up unannounced one morning as Dean arrived home from work. He hugged his brother sincerely, inviting him in the house where they found his precious pet curled up on the couch with a book. Those azure eyes, messy black curls and sweet smile never failed to take his breath away. Cas pulled in to himself, backing further up against the arm of the sofa upon seeing Sam. The Hunter crossed over to kneel in front of him, speaking calmly

“It’s ok, sweetheart. This is my brother Sam. He’s been looking forward to meeting you” 

“Yes, sir” Cas answered, watching the very tall man behind his master.

“Sammy, this is Castiel. My most favorite pet.”

“My God, he is really beautiful. You leave him uncaged while you’re out?”

“Castiel is a very good boy.” Dean answered, stroking the boy’s head as if he were petting a cat.

“Cas-T-iel, huh? That’s an odd name. Where have I heard that before?” 

“He’s the senator’s son; the kid was all over the news last fall” 

Sam let out a gasp of surprise “the one the entire country was looking for? You’ve had him the whole time? Dean, that was like 7 months ago. You never keep a pet that long, especially one as high profile as this.”

“It’s fine, Sammy. Cas is happy here. No one will find him. He never fights or tries to escape.” Dean dismissed his brother’s concerns and went to fetch a couple beers from the kitchen. 

 

THE PREY 

 

Castiel listened to the conversation from his corner of the couch. Sam made him nervous but there were a couple of things he found very interesting, Sam had called the man ‘Dean’. 

His master’s name was Dean. 

He would never use it of course, never say it out loud, but it was better to think of him as ‘Dean’ instead of ‘the man’. 

He had been gone from the real world for 7 months, according to Sam. That meant it was sometime in April. His birthday was in February, indicating he was now 16 years old. Cas had briefly considered asking Dean before what time of year it was, but it never seemed that important. Knowing now, he thought of school, it was only a month or so until summer break. Michael and Samandriel would be graduating. His parents would be planning another incredibly boring vacation, attempting to bond as a family. All these ideas twirled around in his head, he wished he hadn’t heard Sam. That he still didn’t know what month it was and could concentrate only on pleasing ‘Sir’.

Lost in his thoughts, Castiel failed to pay attention to what Dean and his brother were talking about until their voice grew louder.

“He’s your father, Dean. You can’t just ignore that”

“Yeah, Sammy? Watch me”

He stood and stomped from the room, slamming the bathroom door behind him. Cas heard the shower running, felt mild disappointment that he wasn’t sharing their usual time together. Dean reverently washing him top to bottom always made him feel worshipped.

Sam let out a loud sigh

“So, Dean says you’re happy with him. That right?”

Cas nodded, not feeling the need to answer out loud since Sam wasn’t his master. 

“You don’t want to leave? Go back to your rich family?” 

He shook his head this time, raising his gaze to the bigger man’s hazel eyes, showing his sincerity.

Sam stared at him a few minutes, making Cas uneasy so he looked down at his fidgeting fingers instead.

“You are really fucking gorgeous.” Moving closer “I bet you’re a phenomenal lay too” 

Castiel’s face felt hot, his heart began to race and he felt truly frightened, more than he had in quite some time with ‘Sir’. He attempted to move off the couch, intending on hiding in the bedroom until Dean came back out. Sam laid a hand on his leg, squeezing it tightly.

“You can stay here with me, I’ll keep you company” the lust in his voice, unmistakable.

He pushed Cas back on the couch, leaning in closer

“Please…..don’t…..” 

Castiel had never begged his captor, never pleaded or asked him to stop. He was imploring Sam.   
Dean’s brother ignored him, forcing a kiss roughly on his lips while he cried and tried to push him away.

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean stepped out of the shower, calmer now that he had taken a moment to chill himself out. Sammy sure knew how to press his buttons; the big red one with “DO NOT PUSH” stenciled on it was Dad. He dried and threw sweats on, skipped the shirt and headed back to the living room.

His brother was on top of his precious pet, kissing him. Castiel’s face was flushed and wet with tears, his hands pushing against Sam’s broad chest uselessly. 

Stomping over, he gripped the taller man’s collar, pulling him backwards and tossing him to the floor. His back cracked against the coffee table and he protested loudly

“Jesus, Dean. What the hell?”

His sweetheart moved off the sofa, positioning himself in the corner, as far away from the violence as he could get. Eyes wide with fear, a look that used to turn Dean on, now it only made him feel guilty.

“It’s ok baby, I’m not mad at you”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Sam bellowed, rising up from the floor “You don’t explain yourself to a pet, Dean. You don’t keep them for 7 months or leave them unleashed when you’re not here. Shit! It’s like you’re in love with him or something”

The room fell into silence, only the ticking of the kitchen clock could be heard. After a few moments, Sam gasped quietly,

“Oh my God, Dean. You fell in love with your damn pet?”

“Shut up, Sam!”

“Holy shit! Are you fucking crazy?”

“I said shut the fuck up, Sammy!” 

Dean looked over at Castiel. The boy pressed himself into the wall, head and palms against the surface. The look on his face asked the same questions Sam did

The Hunter stomped over to his pet, seizing him tightly by the throat; he brought his body forward, and then slammed it forcefully against the plaster. Cas tugged on his captor’s wrist, struggling for air. Dean pulled him forward again, spitting through clenched teeth

“I don’t love you. You hear me? I don’t fucking love you!”

The boy’s shocked and terrorized expression almost broke Dean’s resolve. 

Almost.

Dean grasped his throat tighter, Castiel’s face turning crimson, and then smashed him brutally against the wall again, this time breaking through the dry wall and sending the boy in to unconsciousness.

He released him, allowing his pet to fall unceremoniously to the floor. Panting he turned to his brother

“Happy now?”

“You have to get rid of him, Dean” 

“I will, just go, ok?” 

“Dean…” 

“Sammy, don’t make me punch you in your damn throat, GO!” 

His brother reluctantly left, the Hunter listening for his car to fire up and drive away.

Weeping silently, he gathered the boy’s clothes from the hall closet. The same clothes he wore when he was taken. He brought them to the living room and dressed his sweetheart’s limp body.

Fuck!

 

THE PREY

 

Castiel woke up to a throbbing head and the sensation of movement. He was seat belted in a car, leaning against the passenger side door’s window. Turning his neck slightly, he saw Dean driving, a fierce look on his face.

“Sir?” he whispered, throat desert dry and raw.

“Quiet, baby. Stay quiet” his voice wrecked, low.

Of course, Cas obeyed, he always did. They had been traveling for a while when Dean leaned over to the glove box, keeping his eyes on the road, feeling around until his hand landed on a pill bottle. Twisting it open with his palms on the steering wheel, he handed the brown container to Castiel instructing

“Take two of these; they’re painkillers for your head. They’ll also help you sleep. We’ll be driving for a while”

The boy tipped two out into his hand, returning the medicine to Dean before reaching for a bottle of water sitting in the cup holder. He swallowed the pills meekly, replaced the water bottle and leaned back into the leather. His head did hurt, so did his throat, he fought to remember what happened before his world went black. When he did recall, he started to sob, trembling.

“Don’t, sweetheart. Just don’t, ok?” ‘Sir’ choked out.

Castiel fought his tears, weeping turning in to whimpers. With the painkillers kicking in and the fact that he sleep as he usually did when Dean got home, he returned to the blackness. 

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean watched as Castiel drifted off, and then felt free to bawl himself. 

He didn’t want to let the boy go. 

Fucking Sam, bringing reality back to the fantasy he had been living for over half a year. He hated to admit it, but Sammy was right. He had taken far too many chances with this pet. 

Fact was, he really did love the boy. 

It was unhealthy, twisted and way to risky.

He drove them two states away, following highway signs to the nearest hospital, found his way to the emergency room. Idling outside the sliding doors, he watched his beautiful sweetheart resting peacefully for a few minutes. When waiting became more dangerous, more of a chance for witnesses, he exited the car and trotted around to the passenger door. Careful to catch Cas before he could fall to the pavement, he lifted him bridal style, carrying him in to the foyer.

Wheelchairs were lined up against both walls, available for ER patients unable to walk. Dean lowered Castiel into one of them, tilting his head back and to the side so he wouldn’t wake with a crick in his neck. The Hunter stood slowly, his heart screaming at him to pick the boy back up and run. His logical mind won. The older man turned, walked deliberately through the doors and never looked back.

 

THE PREY

 

Castiel woke up in a very white room, lying on a firm bed, blankets tucked up beneath his arms. 

Hospital. 

He was in a hospital. 

Was there an accident? Was Dean injured? Wires, tubes, blood pressure cuff all attached to his body. The beeping of one monitor progressively faster and louder until a loud squeal drilled pain into his head.

A nurse, sporting baby blue scrubs with yellow happy faces on them, rushed in and hit a button.

“Honey, you need to calm down. You’re heartbeat is way too fast, gonna give yourself a stroke. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth” she demonstrated and he imitated.

Once he caught his breath, he managed to pant out “Where am I?”

“St. Anthony’s hospital, there are a couple police officers who need to speak to you. Do you feel up for that?”

Clearing his raw throat, “Yes, ma’am. May I have a glass of water first?”

“Of course, doll.” 

The nurse left the room for a moment, giving Cas time to obsess. Dean didn’t want him anymore but he hadn’t killed him. His chest ached, moisture stinging his eyes as he blinked furiously to fight the tears. 

Dean gave him back.

The woman returned with a plastic pitcher of water and a small cup. Filling the cup and handing it to him, she looked over her shoulder to acknowledge two female police officers.

“This is Officer Mills and Officer Hanscum; they need to ask you some questions, honey”

Castiel nodded, the nurse gave him a sad smile and excused herself, telling him to hit the button on the handset if he needed anything.

The blonde cop pulled a chair up to the left side of the bed, the brunette cop mimicked her actions on the right side. When they were both seated, Officer Mills, the brunette began

“How are you feeling?”   
It wasn’t the question he was expecting, so he took a moment to answer honestly

“My head hurts, so does my throat. I feel groggy and disoriented”

The officers exchanged looks at the boy’s thorough answer. Officer Hanscum, the blonde, nodded the asked

“Do you know your name?”

“Castiel. Castiel Engelmann”

Trading shocked glances at each other, Mills inquired

“Your Senator Engelmann’s missing son?”

“Yes, ma’am”

“Where have you been all this time?” 

A parade of people asking questions proceeded after that. Detectives from the same precinct as Mills & Hanscum, then the FBI, leaked information had news reporters camped outside. He answered the investigators requests with short answers, never elaborating.

Finally, his parents rushed in, both in tears, grabbing him and hugging him painfully tight. It was overwhelming and exhausting. 

He wanted Dean.

His mom, a doctor herself, declared him too fatigued to give any more interviews to authorities. His father demanded the room cleared so his son could rest. With the pain medicine his sweet nurse shot in to his IV, he happily escaped the madness.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Castiel Engelmann, son of Senator Engelmann, reemerged after believed kidnapped 7 months ago. According to an anonymous source inside St. Anthony’s hospital, the boy was discovered unconscious and alone in the emergency room entrance. No other details are available at this time. Keep it here, Channel 29, for up to the minute information on this miraculous story.”

THE HUNTER

 

Dean arrived home, having called off work for the night, went about collecting everything belonging to Castiel. His books, IPod, clothing, even his tooth brush and hair brush, piling them in the backyard barbeque, lit them up. 

He sat in a lawn chair, sipping a beer, watching the flames and reliving the last 7 months in his head. He had been happy, he couldn’t remember being happy before that. All the pets he kept over the years, that Sam kept or his father kept, none of them were anything like Cas. 

His beautiful prize, his trophy, gone and he mourned. 

When the flames burned themselves out, he went back inside with the intention of sleeping. He lay in his bed alone, smelling Castiel on the pillows, flashing back on his perfect body, those gorgeous eyes and breathtaking smile. 

There was no possible way he could fall asleep in here

Reclining on the living room sofa, he switched on the TV, hoping the tiresome news would lull him to slumber. Instead, he was greeted by Castiel’s yearbook photo once again. He grabbed the remote and sat up while simultaneously increasing the volume.

“Castiel Engelmann, son of Senator Engelmann, reemerged after believed kidnapped 7 months ago. According to an anonymous source inside St. Anthony’s hospital, the boy was discovered unconscious and alone in the emergency room entrance. No other details are available at this time. Keep it here, Channel 29, for up to the minute information on this miraculous story.”

Dean wasn’t too surprised to see Cas on the news; he had popped up on the screen even faster the day he first took his pet. As a commercial break attempted to inform him of the best possible toilet paper, the Hunter rewound the broadcast back, until Castiel picture reappeared. He paused the playback, leaning back on the couch and staring at the boy’s image. 

The picture remained frozen on the television long after Dean finally fell asleep.

 

THE PREY 

 

Castiel grew tired very quickly of answering the same question asked by different people. The official statement he gave the FBI was at least partially true. 

He was kept in a gray cement room, not mentioning ever going upstairs or having free reign in the house. He admitted to the oral and anal sex, never implying he was willing or that he enjoyed it. When the sketch artist came by, he described an actor from Dean’s favorite show perfectly. If anyone noticed his alleged abductor resembled Dr. Sexy MD, no one mentioned it

His mother insisted on a thorough physical examination. Cas tried to convince her it wasn’t necessary, that he didn’t want to be touched without permission ever again, she promised to stay in the room during. This only made matters worse for a shy kid who only had one person see him completely naked since he was 8 years old. 

Dean.

His attending doctor gave the report to Cas and both his parents. A mild concussion, evidence of manual strangulation, indications of repeated anal penetration and a pretty significant Vitamin D deficiency, theoretically from a lack of sunshine. Blood tests for STDs all appeared negative. The boy would be physically fine, adding a strong recommendation for a psychiatrist.

After four hectic days, Castiel was released. Swamped by the media, his father arranged for a chopper to pick them up from the helipad on the roof, taking them back to a tiny airport in their hometown. The reporters were waiting there as well, held back by the local sheriff’s department. The officers escorted them home and ushered them inside, providing complete protection for Cas. He felt such gratitude towards the authorities that insisted on guiding him, not badgering him with tedious questions.

Entering the front door, he was greeted loudly with “Welcome Home Cas!” by his four brothers as well as a large banner. Instinctively he backed up against his father, heart racing.

“Guys! I warned you to take it easy. Castiel has been through a lot, we need to keep him calm” their mother admonished.

“It’s ok, Mom.” Cas softly “I missed you all, too”

His mom ruffled his hair, stating she was going to get water for him to take his anxiety medication attending doctor gave him until he could see a real head-shrinker. Dad patted him on the back and followed her.

One by one, his brothers stepped over to him, 

Samandriel said he loved him and had missed him, never looking him in the eye. 

Gabriel made some crack about wanting attention and better ways to get it, punching him lightly in the shoulder.

Lucifer seemed more emotional, which was odd for the perpetual tough guy, he simply held him, whispering how glad he was that Castiel was safe

Michael squeezed him as if he would disappear again.

“I think we took you for granted, Cas. Always assumed our sweet, quiet brother would be around, even when we weren’t. There’s been a huge gaping hole inside all of us. It’s unbelievable that you’re home, I love you, Cassie”

And now, Castiel was bawling again. He truly believed the only person who would miss him was Anna, but the sincerity in his parents and siblings faces, he felt loved, important, wanted. 

Dean didn’t want him anymore. 

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean awoke to the frozen TV screen, Cas’s unsmiling face looking back at him. Switching to CNN, Castiel’s face reappeared, next to it a drawing of Dr. Sexy MD. The anchorman encouraging the public to look for this suspect in connection with the Engelmann boy’s abduction. The Hunter howled in laughter. 

His precious sweetheart, always so perfect.

He clicked the television off, groaned and went to shower. He and his pet used to worship each other’s bodies in this shower. He finished quickly and got out. 

He went to change the sheets on his bed, couldn’t have the scent of Castiel haunting him every night. He threw the comforter and the pillows in the laundry room as well. As he remade the bed with a spare set of sheets, he flashed on making love to the boy in this room. No, fucking. He fucked the boy. He couldn’t have made love to him; he wasn’t allowed to love him.

Cleaning the rest of the house, classic rock booming from the stereo, each room reminded him of his lost pet. Cooking together in the kitchen, cuddling on the couch in the living room, even the image of Castiel walking awkwardly down the hall towards him after their first time.

He was going to have to move. 

Spring and summer went by for Dean, uneventful. He continued to work overnights, asking for extra shifts so he wouldn’t be home alone. He attempted to replace Cas with different pets. Kevin, a small Asian prodigy didn’t work out. Meg, a smart ass nursing home RN didn’t work out. Even Hael, a college freshman with wide blue eyes and shiny black hair, so similar to his precious Castiel, didn’t work out. After three body dumps in three different states, Dean gave up hunting. 

 

THE PREY

 

The warm seasons were different for Castiel. 

He saw his psychiatrist twice a week, the woman coming to his home so he wouldn’t have to leave the house, a favor for his ‘very important’ father. Dr. Barnes was a little unorthodox. She didn’t dress like a shrink, tight leather pants, black tank tops and tattoos. She didn’t talk like a shrink either, very blunt, no pretense, and sometimes she cursed. Cas really like talking to her, no false concern or annoying sympathy.

She diagnosed him with ‘Stockholm Syndrome’. He had bonded with his kidnapper, feeling affection for and defending him. She also believed Castiel hadn’t told the whole truth about his captivity, but she didn’t push the issue, waiting for the boy to tell her more when he was ready.

He was on an anti-depressant, anxiety medication and a sleeping pill. These kept him calm almost all the time but could never stop him from missing Dean. He told himself over and over again that it was fucked up to feel that way. Dean was the bad guy in this story, not the hero. 

Didn’t stop Cas from dreaming of him every night.

A teacher assigned to evaluate him for class placement next year was sent to his home by the school board. With Charles Engelmann’s connections, he may never have to leave the house again. The irony being that it was the house he was abducted from.

The test revealed Castiel to have college level intelligence. He passed the high school equivalency exam with flying colors, receiving a diploma the same time as Michael and Samandriel, only he didn’t participate in the ceremony, staying home to receive his certificate. All that extra studying in his little gray room paid off. 

Anna had given her notice just a month after Castiel’s disappearance. She missed the boy terribly and harbored unreasonable guilt that she hadn’t been there to protect him that day. His story blasted over every single network, she secured permission to visit and rushed over. Cas hugged her tightly, laying his head on her shoulder. They talked for hours, she had gotten engaged while he was gone and planned a Halloween wedding, Castiel laughed. They talked about Cas’s future, he really enjoyed cooking with her, (and Dean but he didn’t mention that nugget of information), thinking culinary school. 

That would require leaving the house, attending his school of choice out of state.

It took a lot of convincing, with the support of Anna and Dr. Barnes, he persuaded his parents to let him enroll. A 16 year old culinary student would stick out as it was; they decided he could go by the name Jimmy Novak, James, his middle name and Novak, his paternal grandmother’s maiden name. With a small apartment, a plain clothes security guard 12 hours a day and a different parent or brother visiting every weekend, he would start his new life in September.

Then came the Lifetime Movie Network. 

Castiel and his parents had not given a single interview about his abduction or details of his return. Public knowledge was vague and mostly circumstantial. Producers attempted to secure information for a movie of the week based on Cas’s story. Not only were they denied any access to the boy or his family, his father’s attorney immediately filed an injunction.

Regrettably, the made for TV movie illegally aired on a Friday night in August. The opening credits read “Based on a true story” which was laughable. Very few details were true, the actor cast as the abductor was, ironically, the guy from Dr. Sexy, the one playing the Cas-like character came from a day time soap opera, dying his blond hair black for the part.

The film depicted ‘Chance’ (the Cas-like character) the young, beautiful twink, meeting and seducing Sebastian (the abductor). He convinced the man to murder a boy from school (making a connection to Crowley the police never made and Castiel had never volunteered), then persuaded him to take him away from his boring life where his rich parents never paid attention to him. When the Lolita-like boy grew tired of his lover, he had the man drop him off at a hospital, making up a story about a basement prison to gain sympathy from the public.

Castiel forced himself to view the entire movie, his family watching as well, and then proceeded to bathroom where he threw up and dry heaved until his throat bled. A call to Dr. Barnes and a double dose of anxiety meds, he sobbed on the cold tile floor. No one close to him would ever believe it, but thousands of people had just watched a delusional version of his life.

A lawsuit filed the very next day resulted in a settlement of 10 million dollars as well as an aired apology admitting the inaccuracies. The money promptly placed in a trust fund for Castiel, the on air retraction broadcasted during one 30 second commercial break, texts appearing and disappearing so quickly not many viewers were able to read it.

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean had watched the movie with hot fury running through his veins. 

They depicted his precious pet as a slut, a manipulator, an attention whore. His demi-character portrayed as pathetic, gullible and naive. He found a paper and pen, writing down names of producers and writers. With his job, it wouldn’t be hard to locate these people. He snapped the neck of a kid for only touching his sweetheart, what did they think he would do to the people who hurt Castiel on national television?

Sam called, ranting and raving about the movie. Dean hung up on him. Dad called, Dean didn’t even answer that one, deleted the voicemail without listening to it. Then Dean made a few phone calls and visited a few websites. He put in for a 2 week vacation; all those extra shifts came in handy. He was able to locate exact address for both writers and two out of three producers. 

The Hunter booked a flight, reserved a hotel room, back on the prowl, stalking a whole new type of prey.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five worthless assholes, strung up by their wrists to a support beam overhead, gagged and beaten. Dean pulled out a machete; he didn’t need a blade this big but the fear in his victim’s eyes, totally worth it. He systematically cut off each of their shirts, bras too in the women’s case. Then carved in their chests before noosing their necks and releasing their hands.

THE HUNTER

 

Dean landed at LAX, rented a car and checked in to his hotel room. 

Next stop, shopping. 

He couldn’t bring any type of weapon on a commercial flight, but gathering his supplies within hours of his arrival wasn’t an issue at all. It had been awhile since he mixed up his homemade chloroform, but it was just like riding a bicycle, he would never forget how.

Hunting down his victims, he found the two writers working together, which saved him time. The two female producers were next, each one found alone in their home. Collecting all four in an abandoned warehouse, it took very minimal torture for one of them to reveal the location of his last target. An overweight, middle aged man. His wife had to be knocked out but he managed to persuade Mr. Chubby to join him for a little ride.

Five worthless assholes, strung up by their wrists to a support beam overhead, gagged and beaten. Dean pulled out a machete; he didn’t need a blade this big but the fear in his victim’s eyes, totally worth it. He systematically cut off each of their shirts, bras too in the women’s case. Then carved in their chests before noosing their necks and releasing their hands.

He sat back on a broken office chair, observing as each one strangled, lost consciousness and died. ‘I’ died first, followed by ‘S’. A few minutes later he lost ‘L’ and ‘R’ back to back. ‘A’ took the longest to struggle, out lasting the others by almost a full three minutes. In the end, all five bodies strung lifelessly from the ceiling spelled out his message beautifully.

 

L I A R S 

 

THE PREY

 

Castiel started culinary school in September. First semester was pretty boring, classes included ‘Kitchen Basics’ studying how to keep a kitchen clean, organized and efficient. ‘Basic Practices’ killing bacteria and other disease-causing agents, and ‘Kitchen Safety’ handling knives and hot stoves safely. State and municipal policies regarding food handling and sanitation were taught in a class labeled ‘Food Law’. 

Yawn

One positive thing about all of this was making his first new friend since leaving Dean. Her name was Hannah and she had his identical schedule. His plain clothed body guards, Raphael & Balthazar, made her nervous, always shadowing him, but she got used to it. They studied together, ate together and were assumed to be a couple. This was fine with Cas; he had absolutely zero interest in dating. 

Raphael had no sense of humor; rarely spoke. Balthazar, even though he had a similar accent to Crowley’s, was hilarious. He joked and gave outrageous opinions of the students around Castiel. They worked 8am to 8 pm, alternating shifts every other day, Sundays off since a family member always traveled up Saturday night.

It was on one of those Saturdays in November, around 9pm when Castiel craved almond M&Ms. Samandriel was late, having to take the train instead of driving. Even geniuses couldn’t get their license before their 16th birthday. So, Cas called Hannah

“Han, I’m dying over here. I need chocolate.”

Hannah laughed, “you’re ridiculous, go get chocolate then”

“You know how my folks are about going out alone, if Samandriel comes and I’m out unescorted, they’ll make me come home. Come on, walk with me, I’ll be your best friend….”

Delivering an exaggerated huff, “I’m already your best friend. I’ll be there in 10, you owe me, it’s cold outside”

“I’ll buy you coffee, my bestest friend”

Hannah knocked 15 minutes later; Cas was going to say something smart about the delay, reconsidered when he saw her cold, red cheeks. Bundling up, handing his friend an extra scarf, they headed off to the gas station 2 blocks away.

2 blocks away.

They arrived, shivering and shaking off snowflakes, sighing in relief for the well-heated convenience store. Unfortunately, the small retailer didn’t carry almond M&Ms Castiel had to settle for peanut. He stuck out his bottom lip dramatically when Hannah told him to ‘get over it’. Treating her to an extra-large hot cocoa and roller-grill hotdog, they shoved their hands back into their gloves and headed back.

Castiel hadn’t cut his hair since before Dean, over a year ago, so his black curls lay on his shoulders. Walking back against the wind, a white extended cab pick-up truck pulled up and the driver rolled down the window to offer a ride. Hannah politely refused, stating they were only a block away, while Castiel stared intriguingly at the sidewalk.

Another man, exiting the passenger door, walked around the front end to where they stood. 

“Come on, it’s freezing out here. You two pretty ladies shouldn’t be out all alone”

Hannah repeated that they were only going a short distance as Castiel loudly whispered to her

“Han, let’s just go”

“Holy shit, Alastair! I think that one’s a dude!” 

With that said, both Hannah and Cas attempted to walk the single block back to Castiel’s apartment.

When the driver got out and both men started to follow them, offering lewd and suggestive comments, Hannah nodded at her friend, he nodded back and they both took off running, hot cocoa be damned.

They made it to the entrance of Cas’s apartment building before the men overtook them. The driver, apparently name Alastair, grabbed the boy, shoving him up against the mailboxes. The passenger looped his arms around Hannah’s waist, tugging her back against his chest. 

Castiel froze, deer in headlights froze. He couldn’t find his voice, eyes wide and wet, the smell of cigarettes and beer assaulting his sinuses. 

Hannah was doing much better. She threw her head back abruptly, and was rewarded with a crunching sound. She broke her attackers nose. The man released her hastily, bringing his hands to his face, catching the gush of blood. Hannah turned, bringing her knee up and kicking him as hard as possible in his balls. 

One man down.

She then tackled Alastair, jumping on his back, arms around his neck, choking him as she threw her weight backwards, unbalanced and caught by surprise; he fell on top of her. Finally able to exhale again, Cas moved to help Hannah up, shoving against the man to free her. Alastair rolled off, stood up and retaliated by backhanding Castiel to the floor  
.   
“Azazel! Quit being such a pussy and get the fuck up. You just got your ass beat by a bitch, dude!”

Hannah was back on her feet, pulling Cas up off the floor when bloody Azazel punched her in the face, knocking her in to the wall and she fell to the ground, unconscious.

Castiel was on his own now. Cornered by both men, he’s eyes kept flickering to the entrance, praying someone else would come in and call for help. He didn’t make a sound, didn’t scream for help or beg for mercy, he could only press himself as close to the mailboxes as physically possible.

“So, tell me” sneered Azazel, “are you a boy or a girl?”

Cas remained quiet, heart beating out of his chest and listening to the voice in his head tell him how incredibly stupid he was to go out for damn candy.

Alastair reached out, cupping Castiel through his jeans, announcing “He’s definitely a guy….wait a minute….you look familiar. Were you on TV or something?”

The boy shook his head emphatically

“No, you’re right. He’s that senator’s kid. The one that likes to be chained to the basement and fucked. You saw that movie, right?” Azazel confirmed.

Castiel tried to convince them otherwise, whispering

“My name is Jimmy Novak; my dad is a construction worker”

Azazel held him up against the mailboxes as Alastair pulled out his phone, typing away on it, he displayed it for Castiel. A Google search pulled up his picture and his real name. Fucking information superhighway. 

“See? I knew it was you. You’re a sex freak, right? Like to be tied up, whipped and pounded until you pass out. Well, sweetheart, this is your lucky day.”

Cas kicked, screamed and went dead weight as the two men dragged him down a short set of stairs to the building’s laundry mat. Tossing him carelessly to the floor, Azazel shoved a trash can against the door and the duo began ripping Castiel’s clothes. He fought this time, well, he tried. Shoving him on his stomach, he lashed out, scratching one of them deeply. He didn’t know which one or where his nails landed, but a ‘pop’ from his left arm and a ‘crack’ on his right and suddenly both limps were useless. He was kicked in his left side three times, making it hard to breath, then a foot landed on his face, over and over again. He lost count, he stopped trying, stopped fighting. 

They were beating him, he was positive he was about to die. When they had done enough damage to insure he couldn’t move, they finished undressing him and he heard zippers lower in stereo. Cas screamed til his throat tore as the first cock entered him, completely unprepared. 

“Oh, baby, you’re so tight. God, I could stay inside you all night” moaned Alastair

“No you can’t, dude. I got him next, and then we gotta get the fuck outta here” complained Azazel

Alastair began to thrust in and out, encouraged by the shrieks of pain Castiel produced, he gripped onyx hair, pulling the boy’s head back and using it to counter his thrusts. He came loudly, curses vibrating through the rows of washer and dryers.

Cas was bloody and broken, but the nightmare wasn’t over yet. Azazel penetrated him violently, the blood leaking from Alastair’s attack acting as lube. 

“Fuck man! Wet, warm, tight….I’m not gonna last for shit” He gripped the boy’s hips tightly, leaving perfectly shaped finger print bruises behind, pulling him in to his body as he shoved himself deeper. 

He was right, he didn’t last long and Castiel was thankful for that.

He lay lifeless on the cold floor, blood from all over his body, dripping red art on the white tiles. Shuffling and zipper sounds indicated they were getting dressed, the garbage can moving away from the door made a horrible screeching sound.

Cas thought it was over, they were leaving and someone, maybe Samandriel, would come find Hannah and himself, and get them help. Unexpectedly, four booted feet were kicking him again. Calling him fowl names and threatening to come back and kill him if he told anyone who they were. As the blackness overtook him, pulling him away from the pain and helplessness. Oddly, the last rational thought he had was

“Dean never hurt me” 

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean returned home with a sense of satisfaction. News covered the disappearance of the Lifetime Movie Network staff. Because this particular group of five people worked together on a regular basis, no one made a connection to Castiel’s travesty of a movie. It took another four days for the bodies to be discovered. Speculations on the meaning of the message ‘LIARS’ were many. Obviously these idiots had made a lot of enemies. Dean was sure there was no way for it to trace back to him.

Filled with self-satisfaction, he went back to his normal routine. Work, eat, sleep, and repeat. Thankfully, Sam accepted a promotion, transferred and moved in with Dean. The Hunter allowed his brother to use the cells below to keep his pets, Sammy offering to share them with him, but even as Dean admired the eclectic beauty of them, he had no desire. 

They still weren’t Castiel. 

Sam worked days; Dean worked nights, life feel into a predictable schedule. It was nice to come home to someone though, instead of hearing himself patter through an empty house every day. Sammy gave him a few odd looks as reporters informed the public there was no new information on the “Lifetime Five” murders. The Hunter would just smirk and raise an eyebrow. 

 

THE PREY

 

Castiel woke up in the hospital, again. Sweet nurse asking him how he was feeling, again. He attempted to open his eyes, his left one wouldn’t cooperate at all and the right one only gave him a sliver of light. He could hear crying, more than one person but when he tried to answer the lady, his throat felt raw and ripped. Breathing was labored, uncomfortable, pain in his left side whenever he inhaled but he managed to wheeze out,

“Water” 

A straw magically appeared in his mouth, he sipped hungrily, the liquid both hurting and helping. 

A voice near his right ear, 

“Cas, I’m so sorry” 

Samandriel 

Castiel tried to shake his head, agony and dizziness wouldn’t allow it. Instead, he whispered 

“Not fault” 

‘Not fault’? That’s not what he said. He said ‘Not your fault’. 

“I was late, I should’ve been there” 

“Hurt you” 

NO! 

He screamed in his head. I said ‘They would’ve hurt you too’. What was wrong with his mouth?

Another voice from the left,

“I’m going to find Lucifer, he’s getting coffee”.

Hannah 

Hannah was hurt. Slumped on the floor in the foyer of the apartment building. Brave Hannah had fought like a tiger. 

“Han, hurt?” 

Damn it. This was starting to piss him off. He always prided himself on speaking politely and properly. 

“I’m ok, Cas. Bump on the head and a pretty purple mark on my cheek, I’m fine. I’ll be right back, I promise”. 

Soft, fading footsteps, Samandriel still crying, then louder, harder footsteps, followed by a gruff voice 

“Hey boy, not gonna ask how you’re feeling cuz that’s a dumb ass question. I’m Dr. Singer; I have officers here so I wanna go through your injuries with you, your brothers and these guys all at once. I hate repeating myself”

Castiel had never heard of a doctor speaking so informally, he sounded perpetually irritated and unprofessional. Cas decided he liked him, reminded him of Dr. Barnes, no bullshit. 

Hannah and Lucifer returned, his older brother trying to hide the fact he had been crying.

“Cassi, Mom and Michael are on their way. Dad’s in DC, we’re still trying to get a hold of him.” 

Castiel whimpered 

“No let stay. Take home”

The fuck? The ‘not seeing’ and ‘no complete sentences’ thing was beginning to scare him.

“Don’t worry about that now, Cassi.” 

Dr. Singer’s gruff voice returned 

“This is Officer Lafitte and his partner Officer Winchester”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was Castiel. His pet, his sweetheart, the one he wasn’t allowed to love, and he was hurt. He was hurt badly. It took every bit of the Hunter’s self-control not to rage and promise death to those who dared cause his baby pain. What he did to Crowley and the ‘Lifetime Five”? Paradise compared to what happens next.

THE HUNTER

 

Dean was unable to temper his gasp of surprise. When the call came in, the victim’s name was reported as ‘Jimmy Novak’.

This was Castiel. His pet, his sweetheart, the one he wasn’t allowed to love, and he was hurt. He was hurt badly. It took every bit of the Hunter’s self-control not to rage and promise death to those who dared cause his baby pain. What he did to Crowley and the ‘Lifetime Five”? Paradise compared to what happens next.

Cas’s face, black, blue and grossly engorged, completely unrecognizable. His cheek seemed to be indented and his eyes hidden behind a balloon of purple bruising.

Benny gifted him a glare for his initial reaction. Whispering,

“Pull it together, brother. He’s all kinds of messed up, don’t need you making him feel worse”

Dean nodded; it was all he could bring himself to do.

Dr. Singer continued 

“If you idgits are done keeping secrets over there, I need to give you all an injury report so we can get this boy in to surgery” 

Surgery? Blood boiling again, biting a hole through his inner cheek to keep from cursing. 

The word ‘surgery’ seemed to have a similar effect on Cas’s brothers and friend. They all exchanged worried glances but stayed quiet, waiting to hear more from the doctor.

“All right, Castiel. You had a dislocated left shoulder; they popped that back in the ER. You’re right ulna and radius are both broken, they set those in the ER as well. Three broken ribs on your left side, all we can do is bind those; cuts and bruising over most of your body, fractured right cheekbone, broken nose, seriously damaged left eye socket and torn retina in the right, not to mention a pretty severe concussion.”

The doctor paused a moment to allow all the information to saturate. Everyone overwhelmed by the list of injuries, no one could actually find a voice to ask follow up questions 

Dr. Singer continued,

“We’ll take you in to surgery, to repair your cheekbone; it’s sunken in and can cause a pretty significant cosmetic effect. We’ll also have to mend the damage done to you anal region, the tearing will require both internal and external sutures. I’m afraid you’ll in a considerable amount of discomfort for quite some time. CT shows damage to the Broca’s area of your brain, which is why you can understand what’s being said to you, but you’re not producing speech correctly. Its call Aphasia and speech therapy will help that. Any questions?” 

Dean had a thousand questions, couldn’t ask a single one. Without a sound, he left the room and promptly punched a large picture frame holding images of the hospitals staff. The glass shattered, raining down on the floor with spatters of his blood, dripping off his knuckles. 

He had let Cas go. It was what was best for him. If he had kept his pet with him, he would’ve protected him and no one could’ve hurt him. This was his fault. He listened to his idiot brother and now his sweetheart almost died because of it. He knew he was acting unprofessional, what kind of cop loses their shit seeing a rape victim? A newbie, a rookie, not Dean.

Benny told the family they would be back after Castiel’s surgery to get additional information. Hannah had assisted, giving a detailed description of both assailants, Samandriel too, as the one who actually found his brother after the attack. The officer caught up with his partner by the elevator, 

“What the hell was that all about?” 

Dean searched quickly for logical reason for his temper tantrum

“That was the senator’s kid, the one kidnapped last year. He’s been through enough, Benny. What kind of animals just beat an innocent boy like that?” 

“I understand all that, brother. I do. But you are taking this entirely too personally. You gonna be calm enough to question the victim with me or do I need to call in Bradbury and McCloud for this?” 

“Nah, man. I’m cool. I can be cool. Let’s grab some coffee and wait for his parents to show.” 

 

THE PREY

 

Castiel sudo-woke in the recovery room. He hadn’t asked a single question or spoken a word before his surgery. A lot of chatter around him then, his brother’s and Hannah fussing and assuring him. He climbed towards consciousness, a nurse’s voice speaking to him soothingly, 

“Hello, child. Can you tell me your name?”

Desert dry throat, he swallowed several times before responding hoarsely

“Cas….t…iel” 

“Very good, honey. Very good. Castiel, can you try and open your eyes for me?”

The left one was not going to open, no matter how hard he worked at it. He cracked the right one; saw a blur of brown skin and bright yellow. A face and scrubs, he couldn’t see the details of. 

“That’s good enough, honey. My name is Nurse Mosely. I’m gonna be taking real good care of you until noon today. You call me Missouri, though. I’m not much for titles. I’m going to stay here with you while you wake up fully, then we’ll wheel you back to your room. There are an awful lot of people who love you in there. You’re a very lucky child.”

Cas wanted to inform her he was not a child, but her voice was so smooth and calming, he let her call him whatever she wanted. He danced between sleep and reality, floating. Pain meds must be awesome; he was nowhere near the agony he felt earlier. Finally, he stayed in the land of the living long enough to sip apple juice, and was declared ready to move.

Wheels made a whirling sound; lights grew dim and brighter, and then repeated the process again. A few turns and Missouri announced he was in his room.

“Ya’ll let him rest. I know you all care a great deal about him, you want to help. Best way for you to help is to stay quiet and let him sleep a bit. You need anything, hit that red button on the bed rail.”

Cas felt her rub a hand over his shoulder, brush his hair lightly out of his face, and whisper

“You let me know if I need to kick them out, child.”

Castiel would have smiled and nodded, if he didn’t immediately doze off. 

He woke up some time later, hearing harsh voices attempting to be quiet. 

“We should have kept him home where he was safe”

Dad

“Really? Because the first time he was attacked, he was at home” 

Lucifer

“We did everything to keep him safe here. The guards and the Sunday babysitting, he should never have gone off on his own.”

Dad again, Castiel not appreciating the ‘babysitting’ comment.

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare blame Cas for this! This isn’t his fault. The world is full of evil freaks he can’t hide from all of them, Dad!”

Michael.

Much louder than the others and obviously pissed.

“Fighting each other isn’t helping” 

Mother. Soft spoken, non-combative, mother.

“You can’t pull him out of school. You’ll break his heart. He’s had enough taken from him”

Gabriel 

“He’s coming home and that’s that” 

Dad

“NO! I’ll transfer schools and move in with him. When he recovers, if he wants to stay and study, I’ll be here with him” 

Michael. Loud, wonderful Michael. Cas would smile, if he could.

“Staying” Castiel announced, his voice angry and gravelly

Silence. 

A soft hand held his, minding the IV, stroking his wrist. 

Mom

“Sweetheart, don’t think about school right now, just concentrate on getting better.” 

“M’ ok” 

Mom’s a pediatrician, that’ll come in handy right about now. A sad chuckle followed.

“Yes, my sweet Castiel. You’re going to be ok. You’re going to be just fine” 

“Hannah?.....................................Samandriel?”

Lucifer answered

“Hannah’s parents picked her up, Samandriel’s back at the hotel with Raphael. He’s exhausted, keeps blaming himself”

“Not fault”

“That’s what we told him” Lucifer agreed. 

“Looking pretty tough there, bro” 

Gabriel. Smart ass.

“Gabriel!” Dad admonished

“Prettier…..th….you…..Ga….” 

He could hear all three of his brothers’ laugh,

“You’re right there, kiddo.” Gab agreed

A light rap on the doorframe, followed by an accented voice

“Excuse me folks, we’re going to have to ask some questions if we want to find these…monsters” 

The cop. The one that was here before, his partner still quiet though.

“Of course,” his mother replied. No sound of movement though. 

“I’m afraid it may be easier on Castiel to tell us what happened without so many people listening”

“No. We’re not leaving. Cas, you want us to stay, right?” Dad argued. 

“Go” 

“Sweetie, you want me to stay with you?” offered Mom.

“No. All. Go. No. Hear.” 

“You want us to leave you alone so we don’t hear what happened?” Lucifer asked softly, understanding.

“Yes. Go. Please”

Dad bickered a few moments longer, outnumbered, they all headed to the cafeteria with the promise of returning the minute the interview was over. 

“There. That’s better, right? I’m Officer Lafitte, this is my partner Officer Winchester. We were here earlier, before your surgery” 

Castiel remembered. 

Lafitte had an accent, Cas liked it. Winchester hadn’t spoken but Castiel had heard him gasp loudly and thought he may be the one who broke glass earlier.

The boy nodded the best he could,

“No talk good.” 

“We know, it’s all right. We’ll go real slow, you take all the time you need to answer” 

“Thank” 

“Just tell us, in your own words, what happened. Start with leaving your apartment…” 

Castiel spent the majority of the next hour, stuttering to describing the events as he remembered them. It seemed to take forever to get each sentence out. When he explained the sexual assault, the tears he had been fighting won the battle, squeezing out of bloated eyelids. The officers were patient, Winchester stayed quiet, taking sharp inhales of breath from time to time. Lafitte asked a few questions, then declared them done. 

“You did great, Castiel. With your help and the information Hannah gave us, we have a real chance of catching these creeps. We have names, faces, vehicle description and timeline, we’ll be calling you the very second we arrest them” 

“Thank” 

“I’m so sorry this happened to you, Cas”

That voice. The other officer’s voice. ‘Winchester’. 

It was Dean.

No doubt in Castiel’s mind, he would never forget Dean’s voice, as long as he lived.

He jerked his head up, struggled violently to open his eyes again. Left one did nothing but the right lid gave just a centimeter more.   
He could see blurs of blue and tan. Uniforms and skin color, no details. Didn’t matter. 

He knew it was Dean.

Dean was a cop.

Dean was here. 

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean knew the instant Castiel recognized him. He hadn’t counted on the boy knowing his voice after all this time. Cas didn’t show fear, or hesitation. He had tried to look at him, but simply waved a hand when they left to find his family.

“What was that about?” Benny asked in the elevator. 

“What?” 

“You didn’t participate in the interview at all, man. I told you I’d get the redheads to take over if you couldn’t hack.” 

“I can hack, Benny. You did fine all on your own. I didn’t want to overwhelm the kid” 

“Right….wonder why he looked so shock when you said you were sorry it happened” 

Dean shrugged, “Maybe no one had said that to him yet.” 

They found his family, bickering in the cafeteria. Then headed back to the station, filing the report, shift ending they went their separate ways. Benny had a family to get home to, he’d hug his daughter a little tighter, try not to think of her growing up in a world where things like this happen.

Dean sped home to Sam. 

His brother was barely awake, nursing a cup of coffee and a muffin at the kitchen table when Dean exploded through the door. He repeated the entire story, Sam’s eyes wide, and face unbelieving. 

“You’re telling me the pet you released has been living in the same city as you for months and you didn’t know?”

“Sammy! Did you listen to anything I said? He could’ve died. I should’ve kept him here with me.” 

“No, you should’ve killed him when you had the chance, Dean.”

And that’s when Sam received a broken nose to match Castiel’s. 

“He knows who you are, moron! He can turn on you at any time.”

“He won’t” Deans low and dangerous. 

“You don’t know that, Dean” 

Actually, Dean did know that. He had known it all along. He never instructed Cas on what to say or what not to say when he let him go. Castiel chose to protect Dean’s identity all on his own. 

“You ever say another word about killing him, Sam, we’re no longer brothers”

With that, he stomped into the bathroom to shower, leaving Sam to clean up the blood from his face in the kitchen sink. 

There was no possible way the Hunter would be able to sleep, instead, he headed back to the hospital. He discovered Castiel’s mom in an uncomfortable chair, trying to sleep. It was hard to tell whether Cas was awake, his poor face. 

“Officer Winchester” Cas’s mom whispered, “everything ok?”

“Just wanted to check up on him, ma’am. Kind of took his case to heart” 

“I noticed that” she said with knowing smile. “Took housekeeping a bit of effort to clean up all that glass” 

“I apologize Dr. Engelmann, I normally wouldn’t react so violently” 

“Call me Becky, and there is no need for apologies, Officer. My husband and our sons were sent out of the hospital for loudly planning the death of the two demons that did this.”

Dean chuckled, “My kind of family, Becky. You look exhausted, no offense, you should try and get some rest as well. I could stay with your son.” 

“Oh, no. I could never ask you to do that, Officer Winchester”

“Call me Dean, and you’re not asking me, I’m offering. No one will be able to come near your son while I’m here. He’s safe with me. Just take a little break, they have a family room down the hall, you could nap and shower….?”

“That sounds like heaven, Dean. Are you sure you don’t have things to do?” 

“Nope. It’s my day off. If I weren’t here checking on your son, I’d be getting in a heap of trouble for working his case off duty.”

“You’re a darling, Officer Dean.” She smiled sadly “I’m so glad we have someone as dedicated as you looking out for my son”. She kissed him softly on his cheek before leaving to find an empty couch in the family room.

Dean moved her chair closer to Cas’s bed, reached out to brush the hair off his forehead, and spoke calmly 

 

“Hello, sweetheart” 

 

“Hello….. Sir”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas could smell Dean’s cologne, his body wash and toothpaste. A combination of scents that only belonged to his ‘Sir’. Pain meds made him groggy and unfocussed but he was able to respond when Dean said,   
> “Hello, sweetheart”

THE PREY

 

Castiel had listened to the entire conversation between his mother and Dean. With his face disfigured and his breathing labored, it was nearly impossible for them to tell he feigned sleep. He found himself hoping his mom would take Dean up on his offer, relieved when she finally did.

Cas could smell Dean’s cologne, his body wash and toothpaste. A combination of scents that only belonged to his ‘Sir’. Pain meds made him groggy and unfocussed but he was able to respond when Dean said, 

 

“Hello, sweetheart” 

 

“Hello….. Sir” 

 

“I was pretty sure you knew it was me” 

“I…..knew…..” 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Hurts” 

“Of course, sorry, stupid question.” 

“Why?”

“Why is it stupid? Because the answer is obvious.” 

“No. Why here?” 

“Why am I here?” 

Cas nodded 

“I’m worried about you, sweetheart.” 

Cas shook his head

“No. Gave back” 

“Gave back? Gave what back, baby?” 

“Me” 

It took a few minutes before Dean answered 

“I gave you back. I thought I was doing something good. Letting you go.” 

Castiel shook his head again. 

He opened and shut his mouth several times, frustrated punched both fists down on his thighs. Instantly regretting it when his left shoulder resumed it’s fiery hot throbbing and a sharp pain of knives and needles shot beneath his cast on his right arm. He whimpered 

“Can’t……..say…….” 

“Doctor said your words will come back to you. Take your time, I’m not going anywhere” 

“You. Find.” 

“I find? You? No, report came in, it was just coincidence” 

“NO! Find. Azazel. Alastair.” 

“We’ll find them. Benny and I won’t stop until we have them. The whole precinct is looking for them.” 

“NO! YOU! Find. Them…… Crowley…..movie” 

Then it clicked and Dean gave a sinister smile Castiel couldn’t see.

“You knew I took care of the movie people, huh?” chuckling, “Yes, sweetheart. If I can find them before my partner does, they won’t be arrested. No one will ever see them again.” 

“Thank” 

 

THE HUNTER 

 

Their conversation must have worn Castiel out, he fell asleep without warning. Dean leaned back in the uncomfortable chair, just watching his pet breath. His pet. He didn’t know when or how, but Castiel was his and he would have him back. 

Cas’s mom came back an hour later, looking much better and carrying two cups of nasty hospital coffee. Offering one to Dean, they settled on either side of the boy, sipping silently for a bit. Michael tip-toed in, looking surprised to see the officer had returned, Dean took that as his que, 

“I should go. Swinging by the station to check for any progress. I’ll call you with updates” 

Becky stood, walking the officer to the door, hugging him sincerely and gifting another soft kiss on his cheek,

“Thank you, Dean.”

The Hunter nodded at both Cas’s mother and brother, glanced one more time at his sweetheart, and left on a mission. Castiel had asked him to kill those demons, he had planned on it but now he found himself even more determined than before. He was a Hunter by nature, he would stalk his new prey with an expertise and motivation no other officer had.

His instinct sent him back to the convenience store Castiel and Hannah visited, new snow covered all footprints long ago, but he strolled the route towards the apartment building. There, across the street, between a coffee shop and a candle outlet, stood an ATM. ATMs had cameras, cameras that recorded in 6 second intervals at all times.

Dean headed to the main branch of the bank, flashing his badge and explaining the case to the manager, skinny guy, wiry and very eager to help. Mr. Fitzgerald led him back to his office, pulled up the recording and left the Hunter.

He skimmed through the staggering recording until a white truck passed by, a few frames later he watched Castiel and Hannah running, and two men on their tails. Intense fury left him dizzy for a moment, he rewound and focused closer on the vehicle. Pausing as the back bumper came in to view, he zeroed in on the license plate.

Boom! 

Gotcha! 

A quick stop at the station, he ran the plate through the database.

Alastair Douleur, age: 25 years old, current address: 1300 Maple Avenue, Apt 3B. 

It took every ounce of self-control to casually walk out of the precinct, looking calm.

Dean pulled into the apartment complex, no white truck in the lot, he parked on concrete labeled ‘3B’ and lingered. Sure enough, Mr. Douleur himself pulled behind him, annoyed and belligerent to find someone in his assigned spot. The Hunter exited the Impala, without a word, punched Alastair in his face, knocking him to the pavement, immediately picking up his head and smashing it in to the ground, rendering the rapist unconscious.

He surveyed the area, no witnesses, then dropped the man roughly in to the trunk. Dean relocated the vehicles, parking the truck in the correct spot and leaving cautiously, not wanting undue attention for speeding, although he couldn’t wait to spend some quality time with his newest capture.

 

THE PREY 

 

The next time Castiel awoke, he sipped beef broth and sucked apple juice, chewing hurt like a son of a bitch. Lucifer and Michael were back, Mom must’ve gone back to the hotel. He managed to stay awake longer this time, excited to find his right eye gave him almost a full inch of sight. He would smile if his face allowed it.

Grumpy Dr. Singer stopped by, examining his stitches and shining a light in his barely open eye. Pupil reacted normally, although the whites were almost completely taken over by scarlet, broken capillaries. Cas found himself in better spirits, a more positive attitude. Dean was going to kill them, he only wished he would be there to witness it. The boy had never been a violent person, but every vile word and every hateful impact on his body replayed in his head and he could only dwell on those until he knew the demons would not be coming back like they promised.

Michael and Lucifer discussed his schooling with him, Mom and Dad had said not to worry about it right now, but he did. He had just gotten to a ‘normal’ place in the world, he wasn’t willing to lose it without a fight. Mike and Luci were on his side, both volunteering to stay with him. Big, manly, football players, protecting their twink brother because he seemed to be a perpetual victim. Castiel could accept all that, if it meant staying here with Hannah and his schooling. Becoming a chef was the only goal he had set for himself.

Officer Lafitte, off duty in jeans, Henley and Greek fisherman hat, came to visit. He couldn’t wait to let Cas and his family know that Azazel Baguette had just been arrested by, what Benny referred to as, the ‘Red Haired Twins’, female partners named Bradbury and McCloud. Castiel made himself appear relieved, happy, when he swam in disappointment, Dean hadn’t gotten to him first. Azazel had instantly lawyered up, his uncle happened to be Dick Roman, slimy defense attorney, so no one could question him. 

Lucifer and Michael both stepped in the hall, each one calling a parent with the good news. Benny, leaving after ordering the patient to ‘take it easy’ and ‘feel better’, bumped in to Dean.

Cas eavesdropped intently,

“I already told him the good news, brother. If you would answer your cell phone, you would’ve saved yourself a trip.” 

“Yeah, heard about Azazel, wish I could interview that asshole myself. Still looking for Alastair, any chance his comrade will give him up?” 

“Nah, Roman’s not letting the guy say a word” 

Dean tsked, shook his head and continued in to Castiel’s room. Dragging the chair back to the bed again. Cas whispered,

“ Found…one…” 

“Yeah, sweetheart. But I found the other one” 

The boy’s right eye widened as much as physically possible, he was unable to stop the ‘almost smile’ that cracked his face and caused an instant migraine. 

“Where…he…?"

“Your old room, downstairs. Plan on painting those gray walls a nice shade of crimson” 

“Thank” 

“Don’t thank me yet, baby. I’m still going to get my hooks in Azazel.”

 

THE HUNTER

 

Castiel’s hero returned home, relieved to find Sam still at work. Collecting necessary supplies from the garage, he paid the monster a visit.

Dean had removed sections of the drop ceiling, chaining Alastair to the water pipes above. The man screamed and begged like the coward he was, music to the Hunter’s ears. He started simple, injuring his prisoner in carbon copy of Cas’s injuries.

He broke his ribs, should’ve been three but who keeps count? Fractured his arm, dislocated his shoulder, smashed in both eyes, removing the left one since his sweetheart hadn’t been able to use his. Shattered his cheekbone, both of them, just to be thorough. Gifting him with a concussion, had to strike his head repeatedly to insure he damaged the guy’s brain, Cas couldn’t speak correctly, and neither would this asshole.

Finally, and most enjoyably, he located random objects to introduce to his hole. Starting with a broom stick, progressing to beer bottles, baseball bat, his little league trophy (he was really proud of that choice) and for the grand finale: his machete that had struck the fear of God in the ‘Lifetime Five’. Acquainting Alastair with his friendly blade ended all the fun as the life faded from his eyes and his soul was sent express mail to Hell. 

 

THE PREY

 

The days that followed rolled one in to the other. Castiel finally released from the hospital after a week, leaving with a prescription for pain meds and a recommendation for a speech therapist. He suffered agonizing migraines. Dr. Barnes (call me Pamela) agreed, graciously, to travel once a week to see Cas in his apartment.

His apartment.

Dad had to concede to the family vote, all for Castiel staying to complete school with Michael as his roommate and Lucifer moving in as soon as he graduated high school. The Senator arranged for Cas to complete all bookwork at home, online and with Hannah bringing textbook assignments. By the time they class processed to ‘hands on’ classes, the boy would attend personally, shadowed by Raphael and Balthazar, of course.

Then there was Dick Roman. 

Dick Roman, Azazel Baguette’s high priced attorney and uncle, filed to have the case dismissed. Azazel claiming the sex was consensual, all part of Castiel’s kinky fetishes. The judge denied the motion. The man was not willing to make a deal, this was going to trial and Cas would have to testify. 

The idea of repeating what happened, in detail, to a bunch of stranger and his family, terrified Castiel. To prepare him for what would occur in court, his parents and Officer Winchester arranged for him to meet with the prosecuting attorney.

Cas felt extremely self-conscious going out in public. He still had significant trouble speaking. Some scaring on his face and a left eye, partially blind, never seemed to focus on what he wanted to. So when Becky led him in to the City Attorney’s office, he had to squeeze both eyes shut, several times, to believe what he was seeing.

Samuel Winchester, attorney at law.

You gotta be kidding me.

Castiel thought he was in a poorly written episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’. Taking a deep breath, he shook Sam’s hand, acting as if they had never met before. He recounted events of the ‘night in question’, expecting judgement from Dean’s brother. Sam didn’t display any prejudice, making notes from time to time and allowing Cas to take his time answering. He let the lawyer guide him through prosecuting questions, as well as the inquiries the defense may raise as well.

They were accusing him of being a slut. Propositioning guys at the convenience store for rough sex then crying wolf afterwards. The defense asking to introduce the Life Time movie, there was no way Sam would allow that to happen. Dean’s brother seemed to be a very capable, if not talented lawyer but Castiel was still holding on to the hope that Dean, himself, would take care of the problem before it went to trial. 

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean grew frustrated, not finding a way to get to Azazel. Since making bail, the man lived with his uncle in an expensive penthouse with plenty of security. He couldn’t assess him without implicating himself. 

He toyed with the idea of taking his pet back. Bringing Castiel back home with him, but a sudden disappearance, even if it meant the boy was safe, would lead people to believe Cas had something to hide. He couldn’t possibly kill every single person who called his sweetheart a slut and he would want to, so he trusted Sam to make sure the world knew the truth.

In the meantime, he created excuses for seeing Castiel. Stopping by his apartment, just to be positive he was secure. Insisting on helping with his security when he wasn’t on duty. Cas’s family saw it as dedication, appreciating the obvious affection he felt for the boy. 

Not one ounce of suspicion.

Castiel kept up the illusion as well, even dropping hints here and there that he may be attracted to the older, attentive man, just to test the waters. His brother’s seemed concerned about the age difference, but anyone who could make Cas smile after his nightmare, was welcomed. 

His parents and Dr. Barnes wouldn’t give their approval so easily. The boy had signs of PTSD, considering any romantic relationship, let alone an older man Castiel may view as a ‘hero’ was deemed unhealthy and discouraged.

Dean could wait. 

Dean would wait. 

He had unlimited patience, he would remain unflappable the rest of his life. Chewing on the regret of letting his sweetheart go. They had been happy, hiding in their own little world. 

They would be happy again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to do this. He wanted to say ‘never mind’ and wait for Dean to punish Azazel instead. But he couldn’t. His family, his best friend and his ‘Sir ‘were all here for him. He owed it to them to see this through.

The Prey 

 

The day of the trial started as any other day would. Castiel woke, immediately taking medicine on the nightstand to prevent migraines. He couldn’t afford to be anything less than 100%. 

Much to his parent’s chagrin, he still refused to cut his hair but compromised by pulling it back in a low ponytail, the joke among his brothers, only douchebags wore ponytails. He dressed in the fancy navy suit his mom insisted on. Something he would have never chosen himself. 

As hard as he tried, Cas’s anxiety still got the best of him; Michael had to help him tie his shoes as he popped a Xanax. When Dean showed up to drive them both to the courthouse, Castiel threw caution to the wind and hugged him tight. Michael caught the officer’s eye over his brother, smiling softly and shaking his head. Let Cas find comfort where he could, today would be a nightmare. 

News reporters camped outside his apartment building, following him to the courthouse to shout random questions as he exited Dean’s Impala. Meeting up with his family, the undying support system he had taken for granted, the 7 Engelmanns held hands in solidarity walking up the countless steps. That shot would headline all newscasts for the remainder of the day. 

Settling in seats behind Sam, Cas leaned on Michael and held his mother’s hand. Exchanging brave nods with Hannah, one row back, he took a deep breath and readied for battle.

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean found a seat in the back, close to the door, carrying the knowledge that he would be kicked out of the courtroom if he didn’t have a quick escape from Azazel. Couldn’t very well murder the monster here. 

He was pleasantly surprised when Benny, Charlie and Rowena slid in next to him. Some cases are just a job to police officers, there’s just too much evil in the world for them to take to heart. This case, however, remained at the forefront of their minds. Maybe they were infected with Dean’s obsession to protect his pet.

Dick Roman strolled in to the courtroom, Azazel at his heels, with arrogance, shaking Sam’s hand in false respect. The defendant stared daggers at Castiel, Cas kept his eyes front, directly on the back of Sam’s head.

Good boy.

Bailiff instructed everyone to rise as Judge Turner entered the courtroom. Turner was a no nonsense judge, he refused to allow any theatrics or showboating in his courtroom. Sam afforded a glance over his shoulder at Castiel and his family, nodding. 

This was good.

Opening statements, Sam described two innocent college kids venturing out in the snow for candy and cocoa could be anyone’s children. Approached by two men, both with criminal records, they ran and fought for their lives.

“The evidence will show, ladies and gentlemen, that Hannah Angeles suffered several injuries resulting from the attack. The evidence will also show, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Castiel Engelmann was not a willing participate in the brutally painful sexual assault that followed. You will hear testimony directly from the victims, medical professionals and law enforcement. You will be shown documented proof of the permanent, disabling damage Castiel Engelmann continues to suffer……”

Sam spoke to the jury a few more minutes, becoming emotional and outraged at the defense’s claims against the victim. Dean was proud of his little brother. The kid knew what the hell he was doing. 

Dick Roman rose to address the panel. Claiming Castiel’s first ‘kidnapping’ (he used two fingers on each hand to indicate quotation marks) was a ploy for the son of a busy public official to gain attention. He continued to hint the Senator may have taken advantage of the situation to secure ‘sympathy votes’. Mr. Roman theorized Castiel, having lost media attention, propositioned several men to have rough sexual encounters with him with the intention of crying ‘rape’ and playing the victim once again. Any injuries he acquired were at his request.

Dean wanted to vomit. 

The entire defense argument was not only unbelievable and outrageous; it was slanderous and downright criminal. Coming to the conclusion in his mind, Dick Roman would have to die alongside Azazel for the lies he spouted.

Sam began calling witnesses. Castiel’s doctors explained his MRI, CAT scan, X-Ray and surgery details. Benny and Dean, as investigating officers, called to the stand to give their testimony, followed by Hannah’s detailed account of the attack. 

 

THE PREY

 

Turner adjourned for lunch before Castiel testified. The boy trembled as he left the courtroom with his family. No one felt like eating, they settled on a bench in the hall, Cas with another anxiety pill; lay his head on his mother’s lap. If they heard the clicking of cameras, they made no indication. 

The image would be front page tomorrow.

Castiel didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to do this. He wanted to say ‘never mind’ and wait for Dean to punish Azazel instead. But he couldn’t. His family, his best friend and his ‘Sir ‘were all here for him. He owed it to them to see this through.

As they re-entered the courtroom, blue eyes locked with green and Dean nodded his head with a soft smile. Was it wrong and twisted to find comfort and strength from the man who kidnapped and held you captive for months? 

Probably.

Did Castiel care? 

Nope. 

Everyone settled, Judge Turner called the court to order and instructed the prosecution to call it’s next witness.

“I call Castiel James Engelmann” 

Cas took a deep breath, swallowed hard, lifted his head, chin up, proceeded past both attorneys to the witness stand. The bailiff swore him in and he sat.   
There were so many people here. So many strangers in the courtroom. So many people leering and judging and…

Sam.

Sam stood directly in front of him, blocking his view and shielding him from all those stares. This Sam wasn’t the same one who tried to attack him on Dean’s couch. This Sam’s hazel eyes told him that he was going to be okay. Castiel let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, locked gazes with the attorney and nodded. He was ready.   
Dean’s brother spoke to him calmly, starting with basic questions and leading him patiently in to recounting the assault. Cas’s answers came sluggishly, he hunted for words that kept escaping him, his answers simple, just as Sam had directed him pretrial. 

He stayed relaxed and calm through his testimony, until cross examination. Dick Roman began kindly enough, Cas didn’t see him roll his eyes at the jury whenever the boy stuttered or couldn’t find the right word. Roman may have thought he was discrediting the boy, but what he was doing was pissing off the jury. 

Then he turned maniacal. 

“Castiel. Do you enjoy sex?”

“Objection”

“Withdrawn. Castiel, do you enjoy rough sex?” 

“Objection!”

“Sustained. You better watch yourself, Roman” 

“Yes, your honor. Castiel, when exactly did you meet my client?”

“Saw…him…snow…sidewalk…November” 

“I’m sorry. When did you meet him?” 

Dick’s condescending and insulting treatment of Castiel’s troubled speech went on with numerous objections from Sam. The boy felt his face growing hotter, his head pounding, migraine enthusiastically on its way. Finding words became harder, his hands trembled, his eyes watered and when Roman loudly demanded he admit to making up the rape to cover his deviant sexual appetite, 

Castiel blacked out.

 

THE HUNTER

 

Everyone in the courtroom seemed to gasp and stand when Castiel hit the floor. Sam arrived at this side first; Dean shoved spectators aside and leapt over the wooden divider to reach him. Cas’s eyes were already beginning to flicker open while the judge ordered the jury escorted out and the courtroom cleared. Castiel’s family stayed, eyeing Turner to instruct them otherwise. Sam and Dean managed to settle Cas back in to the witness stand, his mother hurrying over with water.

Dick Roman, either a complete idiot or suicidal, whispered loudly to his nephew,

“Twink drama queen, it’s just the whore’s attempt at sympathy, don’t worry” 

The Hunter heard it, but as he turned his murderous eyes towards the slimy attorney, four young men jerked free of their father’s attempt to restrain them, began beating the lawyer mercilessly. 

More chaos, Castiel sat stunned on the stand, Sam and Dean attempted to pull the angry brothers off their targets, the bailiff and several court officers detained the Engelmann boys as the judge declared them in contempt. Cas’s mom cried; dad already had his cellphone out to call the family attorney.

Dick Roman, silk handkerchief to his bleeding nose, officially motioned for a mistrial and Judge Turner had no choice but to grant his request. Azazel was free to go. It was one big clusterfuck, Dean exchanged looks with Sam. It was the same look Michael, Lucifer, Gabriel and Samandriel gave one another before they snapped. It was a look only brothers understand: unspoken communication.

 

THE PREY

 

A mistrial. 

Castiel sat limply on the witness stand, Dean by his side, as he listened to Sam explain to his parents what that meant.

What it meant for Cas was that he had suffered through the embarrassment and pain of testifying for nothing. Dick Roman stood smirking at Azazel, assuring him the prosecution wouldn’t want to waste any more of the tax payer’s money on a retrial. Azazel gifting Castiel with a twisted, triumphant look as he strolled out of the courtroom.

“Sweetheart, you’ve got a nosebleed” 

Dean’s voice interrupting his inner turmoil, he looked up to his favorite set of green eyes. Nodding wordlessly, he took his hand and allowed himself to be led out of the courtroom to the restrooms. His mother and father gave a look of approval while discussing how to get their boys out of trouble. They may never admit it out loud; they felt more than a little proud of their boys’ protective instincts. 

In the men’s room, Dean ripped paper towel from the dispenser and pinched Cas’s nose shut.

“How’s the head, baby? Between the fainting and the bloody nose, I’d say there’s an awful lot of pressure in that pretty brain of yours” 

Castiel gave a weak smile. Dean was right, his head hurt so badly, it was almost all he could think about. The pounding, the lights, the sound, everything cutting knives through his temples. He needed the EpiPen mom carried with her, a shot made to help when the migraines progressed this far. 

“Can you get my medicine from my mom?” he whispered, eyes closed, leaning against the tiled wall. 

“Don’t move, I’ll be right back” Dean ordered and sped off.

Cas slid down the wall, sitting on a public bathroom floor, pinching the bridge of his nose to hinder the bleeding. Attempting to control his breathing, in through the nose; blowing out through his mouth, listening to the pounding of his heartbeat in his head. 

A toilet flushed.

When the stall door opened, Castiel peeked through slit lids.

 

Azazel 

 

Son of a bitch.

 

“Cop calls you ‘baby’ huh? You fucking him too?” 

The boy sat frozen, eyes shut, fist clenched, praying Dean would return quickly.

Water running, the squirt of soap, towel dispenser cranked, the guy washing his hands. He’ll leave now. He’ll just walk out and Cas will be safe again.

“Watched you up there, ya know. Couple marks on your face, funky looking eye, but you’re still sexy as hell. You know that, right? When you told everyone about the fun we had together, made me hard as a rock. Shit, I could probably come in my pants right now just looking at you, sitting there all hurt and pretty.” 

Castiel couldn’t breathe. Heart racing, pressure in his head unbearable, he was on his way to blacking out again. If he was unconscious on the floor, what would Azazel dare to do to him then? 

Squeak of the door hinge, loud footstep, an animalistic growl followed by a sickening ‘crack’ sound.

By the time Cas peeked out again, Dean was locking the bathroom door and shutting down the lights. The dimness soothed the pain behind his eyes, he regained a little bit of his ability to focus, enough to see Azazel collapsed on the floor in front of him. His gaze locked eternally on the ceiling, head twisted completely around, Castiel was looking at the man’s back and Azazel’s surprised face looking back at him. 

Dean Crowleyed him. 

 

THE HUNTER

 

He hadn’t thought this through.

Hadn’t planned it. 

Seeing the asshole standing over Castiel, Dean went feral. Quietly, he started working. Moving Azazel’s lifeless body to a stall, he removed the man’s tie, noosed it and looped it back around his neck. Hanging the opposite end on a hook attached to the inner door, with the hope it would look like a spontaneous suicide. Azazel overwhelmed with guilt and regret, hung himself in the restroom. Far-fetched and barely believable but that’s all he come up with right now.

Locking the door from the inside, Dean crawled out of the stall, stood and brushed himself off. Castiel hadn’t moved, hadn’t made a single sound. He knelt down by his pet,

“Cas, we can’t stay here. I’m going to give you your shot; we have to get as far away from this room as possible before anyone sees us. Do you understand, sweetheart?”

The boy nodded slowly, whether or not he actually comprehended was still up for debate. Dean uncapped the syringe, one quick stab in Castiel’s thigh and the EpiPen did the rest. Cas’s head fell back, the medicine relieving some of the pressure and making the boy more than a little bit dizzy. Dean scooped him up, carried him out of the room, leaving the lights off.

Chuck and Becky were waiting in the corridor with Sam. Dean handed the boy off to his father, while his mother stroked his hair and suggested they wait in the car while Dean and Sam tried to free their vigilante sons.

“Take Castiel home to rest, Sam and I will bring your boys to you.”

“Thank you both, I don’t know what our family would do without you guys” offered Becky, delivering her patented cheek kiss to both men before leading Cas and Chuck out.

“Dude, what the hell happened? You look like you just ran a marathon” 

“I killed Azazel in the bathroom” Dean whispered 

“YOU WHAT!?”

“Shut up, man! He was fucking with Cas again and I just lost it. We need to get to the other side of the building before he’s discovered”

“Shit, Dean.” Sam started as they quickly strutted towards the stairs “I know you love the kid. I know that now, and I’m not criticizing you or trying to talk you out of it anymore. But you can’t take risks like that. Someone could’ve seen you, what would Castiel do then?” 

“I covered it up, badly, but it should look like a suicide to whoever finds him. Sam, I know I’m a hypocrite. I’ve raped and killed more than my share of pets, probably more than you and Dad. But thinking of someone hurting Cas, just makes me insane. I can’t help it”

His brother offering a look of empathy, “I’ll take care of Roman” 

“What?” 

“Assholes like Dick Roman shouldn’t be allowed to practice law. You took care of Azazel, I’ll deal with his slimy uncle. No one fucks with the Winchesters or the people they love.

No one” 

“Damn, Sammy. You’re kinda evil for a state attorney” 

“Yeah, Dean. You’re kinda ruthless for a police officer too” 

“Bitch” 

“Jerk”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean gave a valiant attempt to act as surprised as everyone else. Castiel pulled it off, sitting down as if his legs had given out on him. The family exchanged looks of shock and disbelief, Dean found Michael staring right at him. He raised his brows in confusion only to have Cas’s oldest brother mouth silently, ‘we need to talk’.

THE PREY

Castiel woke in his old room, at his parent’s house. He rose cautiously, peeked out the window where the sun had been muted by several clouds. Dean’s Impala and Sam’s Prius parked in the driveway, he allowed himself a little smile. Gazing in his bathroom mirror, he came to the conclusion that he looked like hell. Dried blood in his nose, pale skin, small pink scar on his cheekbone, left eye not quite as blue as the right one, purple moons forming under both.

He splashed cold water on his face, released the wayward ponytail and ran his fingers through it. Finding sweats and a t-shirt, left in his dresser when he moved, he was more than happy to change out of the stiff, navy suit. His mind kept tempting him to think of the courthouse restroom. 

Castiel shut it down.

Cas padded down the hall, stopping at the top of the stairs listening to the exited chatter in the living room.

“Did you see his face? He was so surprised” - Lucifer

“See his face? No, my fist was in it”- Gabriel

“Alfie, did you actually bite his arm?” -Dean 

“I don’t bite, Dean. I simply scrapped his skin with my teeth. Tasted horrible” - Samandriel

“Why do you call him ‘Alfie’?” -Sam

“Because ‘Samandriel’ is too damn long” –Dean

“We shouldn’t be so proud of ourselves. We could get in serious trouble” - Michael 

“I wouldn’t worry too much about Dick pressing charges.”- Sam 

“You weren’t too concerned about it when you were punching him in the kidneys, Mike” –Lucifer 

“He made the best ‘whooshing’ sound then” – Gabriel

“Heroes…..my ……Musketeers!” Castiel added, trying to sound upbeat as he entered the room.

A wave of chuckles as Michael and Dean both stood up to assist Cas to a seat, as if he were 100 years old.

“You……..D-d-d’Artagnan……….Samandriel” he added 

“What does that make you?” asked Gabriel 

“King” Cas smiled.

“I have interesting news” interrupted Chuck “Just got off the phone with Ezekiel, seems Azazel never left the courthouse, they found him hanging in the restroom. He committed suicide”.

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean gave a valiant attempt to act as surprised as everyone else. Castiel pulled it off, sitting down as if his legs had given out on him. The family exchanged looks of shock and disbelief, Dean found Michael staring right at him. He raised his brows in confusion only to have Cas’s oldest brother mouth silently, ‘we need to talk’. Dean nodded and excused himself, 

“I’m going to step outside, call the precinct and see what they know”

“I’ll come with you,” Michael supplied “get some fresh air” 

Leaning against the Impala’s hood, Dean took his cell out and pretended to dial. Mike leaned next to him,

“You killed him, didn’t you?”

“What? Michael, why would you think-----“

“Don’t, Dean” Michael interrupted “I’ve seen the way you look at Castiel. I know how much you care about him, I’m aware that he might be in love with you. I think you lost your shit when Azazel left that courtroom. I also think you’re the reason no one can find Alastair.” 

Dean opened and closed his mouth a few times. Damn it, Mike. He liked Cas’s oldest brother, respected him for constantly backing Castiel up. He really, really didn’t want to have to kill him.

“Dean, I’m not going to turn you in, won’t tell a soul. I wanted to talk to you…  
…..to thank you.” 

Nope, wasn’t expecting that. 

“My brother has been through too damn much, he’s not even 17. The world is a better place without those two demons. I wanted to take Roman out, myself, just for talking about Castiel. So, thank you, Dean.”

The kid punched him lightly in the shoulder and headed back in to the house.

Nope, definitely wasn’t expecting that.

Dean followed through with the intent to call the station. No one had much information; just that the angle seemed off and how far they investigated would depend on the prosecuting attorney.

Dean happened to know exactly how the prosecuting attorney would feel about this.

He returned to the house, Sam and the Englemanns debating pizza or Chinese food for dinner, he noticed Castiel was missing. Raising a brow at Becky, she leaned over to whisper 

“He took a Xanax and went back to his room” 

Dean nodded, gazing up the stairs. 

“You can go check on him, Dean” she whispered again with tender smile.

The Hunter shared a quick glance with Michael before climbing the steps to Castiel’s room. His soft knock answered by a sweet voice, he entered and drank in the sight of his sweetheart. 

Cas lay on his side, facing the door, blue eyes slightly glazed from the medicine. 

“Shut the door, come sit with me” he whispered.

“You did that in the bathroom too” Dean stated, confused as he lowered himself next to Castiel. 

“Did what?” 

“Spoke without hesitation” 

Castiel looked troubled for a few moments, 

“I think it’s you or maybe the medicine, I’m calmer.” 

“You should ask your speech pathologist. How’s that pretty head of your’s?” 

“Better, sleepy. Stay til I doze off?”

“Of course, baby” he grinned, stroking Cas’s black hair until his breath deepened and face relaxed. 

 

THE PREY

 

Castiel slept until the sky produced the moon and the house was silent. He stretched, his stomach reminding he that he hadn’t eaten all day. Padding downstairs in search of left-overs, Lucifer sitting in the dark living room, the only light provided by the television, Chinese take-out boxes spread across the coffee table. 

“Pig” muttered Cas with exaggeration.

“Hey, sleeping beauty. How’s the melon?”

“Needs….MSG….” 

Pure laughter from the older brother, he nodded to closest cushion as he offered up chop sticks. Castiel gratefully accepted, plopping down before selecting a container.   
After a few glorious bites of room-temperature General Tso’s Chicken, he attempted to sound casual when he asked

“Dean?” 

Lucifer rolled his eyes, 

“You’re not doing a very good job at hiding your crush there, Cassi. Sam and Dean left a little bit after you passed out. He said he’d check up on you tomorrow. I think he’s smitten too. Dad’s gonna have a stroke, man” 

Cas shrugged indication that he really didn’t about Dad’s opinion.

The 11 o’clock news came on the local channel, an entirely too perky brunette smiling widely into the camera as she read the teleprompter. A celebrity pregnancy (fascinating) a baseball player accused of using steroids (what a surprise) and a blonde man with a fake tan told them all about the upcoming thunderstorms.

After commercial, the annoying anchorwoman shared ‘exclusive’ photos of today’s drama at the county courthouse. That announcement caught both boys’ undivided attention.

“The high profile case involving an assault on Senator Charles Engelmann’s son, Castiel, has taken some unexpected turns today. Castiel, as you may remember, was kidnapped and held for several months last year, returning to his family virtually unharmed. An unrelated report of assault involving the 17 year old college freshman went to trial today.”

Flash a picture of the entire family holding hands, heading up the broad steps to the courthouse.

“During a lunch recess, the boy found comfort with his mother, pediatric physician Dr. Rebecca Rosen-Engelmann”

An image of Castiel resting his head, eyes closed, on his mother’s lap flickered across the screen.

Lucifer and Cas both sat in silence, staring hypnotically at the TV.

“After Judge Rufus Turner declared a mistrial, the Engelmann family accused of improper behavior, influencing the jury, the young man, so emotional, had to be physically carried out of the building”

Another photo, this one of Dean passing a weakened Castiel in to his father’s arms. Cas leaned closer, mouth hanging open in shock.

“When was that?” whispered Lucifer 

“you…..jail…..”

“Holy shit, dude.” 

Add an unattractive mug shot of Azazel.

“The Senator’s other sons were detained for contempt of court. The alleged assailant, Azazel Baguette, found dead several hours later, the result of an apparent suicide. His uncle, prominent defense attorney Dick Roman, has declined to comment” 

The program went to commercial, promising an interesting story of an orphaned Labrador undergoing surgery to regain the use of his legs, after the break.

Lucifer switched the TV off.

“Should we wake up Mom and Dad?” 

“No…..tomorrow….know…..” 

“What about Dean?”

Castiel reached over to the end table to retrieve the landline, handing it to Lucifer.

“You…..talk……” 

The older boy dialed the number, listening to the ringing until a sleep-ridden voice finally answered. Lucifer told Dean about the broadcast, suggested he look it up online. Dean had no idea a photographer snuck the last picture, asked how Cas was doing.

“I think it upset him pretty good,” Lucifer theorized, glancing at his brother, “but you know the kid is tough as nails. He’ll bounce back. He always does, right?”

Dean replied in agreement, promising to stop by tomorrow. 

Castiel couldn’t keep the smirk off his face. ‘Tough as nails’ he liked that.

Trapping Lucifer in an unexpected hug, Cas decided he was no longer hungry, went back to hide in his room. 

 

THE HUNTER 

 

Dean hung up with Lucifer, already pulling out his laptop and searching for the local news website. Locating the link to Castiel’s story, he watched and listened with the same disbelief Cas and Luc had shared. The image of him handing Castiel to his father may cause some concerns at the station. Officers close to him wouldn’t have any issues, but his supervisors could view it as unprofessional and make his job difficult. 

Damn it. 

He wanted to bounce the story off of Sam, but his vindictive little brother was out hunting. He would almost feel sorry for Dick Roman if the man wasn’t such an incredible douche. 

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* 

A few states away, a traumatized woman sat in the common room of a metal health facility. She had trouble sleeping, even with the double dose of Ambien her doctor prescribed. She watched infomercials for a while before flipping through channels; she dropped the remote as a network rebroadcasted an affiliate’s story.

There, full screen, was ‘Master’.

Lisa Braeden slid off the couch, falling to her knees, staring up at the television. He had released over a year ago, her mind was slowly healing. Lisa was allowed to see Ben every Sunday afternoon, as long as she continued to understand what was real and what was hallucination. Dr. Harvelle assured her that ‘Master’ didn’t exist. He was a figment of her imagination. He was a coping mechanism for a traumatic event her brain erased to protect itself.

She was getting better.

She was supposed to go home with Ben and her mom next week.

This couldn’t be ‘Master’. 

‘Master’ wasn’t real. 

If she told them he was on television, they wouldn’t let her see Ben anymore. 

They wouldn’t let her go home. 

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

 

Sam tailed Dick Roman all night. First, the man had dinner with his fiancé, after he walked her safely to her door, returned to the restaurant to pick up the waitress. He walked her to her door as well, only he entered with her and didn’t return for four damn hours. 

Douchebag

Apparently wound up from his busy night, he hit the gym a little after 6am. Sam settled himself in the backseat of Dick’s Escalade, taking all his effort not to fall asleep. He was rewarded an hour later when the man slid in to the driver’s seat without checking behind him.

With one swift, certain movement, Sam injected a syringe full of insulin into a small mole on the back of Mr. Roman’s neck. He murmured into the man’s ear just before the first wave of seizures hit him. 

“That’s for being a dick, Dick” 

Sam chuckled at himself, such a corny phrase but he couldn’t help it. When would he have such an opportunity to be a bigger smartass? 

He slipped stealthy back to his car, the sun finally spreading light across the block top. Roman had stopped seizing now, laying boneless on the leather seats, slipping in to a coma. Sam imagined he would probably be dead before an ambulance was called, if not, death would soon follow and appear natural.

Poor guy should’ve watched his diabetes.

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. 

The prosecuting attorney finally crawled in to bed around 8am. His brother in the shower, his pets probably starving but he was too exhausted to care. The adrenaline drop after a kill always made him sleepy.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike happened to be staying at Naomi’s the first time Cas and Dean’s nights off coincided. Dean popped over with pizza and DVDs, Castiel had no interest in either one. 
> 
> The older man made every effort to play it cool, take it slow, no pressure. The younger man, straddled his lap, wrapped arms around his neck, leaning their foreheads against each other,

THE PREY 

 

Castiel fell back in to his routine, he loved it. Back at his apartment with Michael, who he adored but if the man left one more wet towel on the floor; Cas was going to kick him in the throat. 

He went to classes personally, not online. Occasional homophobic moron who had followed the news would make insulting comments. Luckily, Hanna turned out to be kind of a bad-ass and the harassment stopped after a few days.

Dean stopped by on his days off, looking at Cas longingly. If Michael wasn’t present at all times, Castiel was sure he would have invited his ‘Sir’ to his room.

It was probably better this way. Dr. Barnes strongly advised not to pursue a romantic relationship, he wasn’t ready. Castiel continued to communicate with Dean clearer than everyone else, but only if he whispered. His speech pathologist said it had to be psychosomatic, with his brain injury; he shouldn’t have been able to put sentences together for months yet. Especially for one particular person he hadn’t known very long. 

If she only knew.

Cas’s eye had cleared up dramatically, he endured two outpatient procedures, wore an eyepatch for a few weeks. Gabriele took advantage of that, referring to him a ‘Pirate Eye’. Gab though it was hilarious, everyone but Sam disagreed.

The small scar on his face faded, following the plastic surgeons orders he applied vitamin E and massaged the skin whenever he thought about it.   
Castiel entertained nightmares a few times a week, he suffered flashbacks. One time a man in the coffee shop wore the same cologne as Alastair; Cas experienced a full- blown panic attack. Michael had to come across the street and help him home.

It was humiliating. 

 

Castiel, well aware that his friendship with Sam and affection for Dean was more than unusual, remained grateful no one else knew about their past. He knew the entire thing was twisted, but the fear was so long ago, almost a year now. Sam and Dean were different people, at least to him. He was a different person. 

Normalcy be damned, he loved Dean. 

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean tolerated a similar inner turmoil. 

He loved.  
He lusted.  
He wanted.  
He needed Castiel, barely 17 and still healing. He thought himself a pervert, a degenerate, even more when he hunted pets. When Cas locked those beautiful blue eyes with him, the same eyes that first caught his attention at the stoplight a lifetime ago, he lost all doubt.

Luckily, his supervisors translated that picture on the news as a positive thing. Promoting police officers caring about victims and going the ‘beyond the call of duty’ to help the community

 

And, you know, occasionally snapping a rapist’s neck in the restroom.

-Just doing my job, ma’am-

Dean and Sam stopped fighting, now that Sam had accepted Castiel as part of Dean’s life. Sam continued to keep his pets, his brother paying little to no attention to it. Unlike Dean, the younger Winchester never released any of his toys; they were always disposed of properly.

********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* 

 

Lisa Braeden had been released from the mental health facility for 3 months before she gave in to temptation and started searching the internet. She told herself “Master” wasn’t real, but that little Jiminy Cricket kept chirping in her head.

She found the story of Castiel Engelmann, a senator’s son kidnapped and held for 7 months. His story, the description of the gray room and his treatment there rang true with her so-called ‘delusions’. One major difference, his description of the man who kept him was nothing like the “Master” image she had burnt in to her mind.

Lisa memorized the boy’s story before clicking on the link of photos, there was her “Master” holding the boy out to his father. The bottom caption read   
“Officer Dean Winchester of LPPD assists Senator Charles Engelmann carry the alleged victim from the courthouse”

Dean Winchester. 

‘Officer’ Dean Winchester. 

This couldn’t be “Master”, this was a policeman.

Now Lisa had a name. It repeated over and over again in her head. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, clicking and double-clicking, finding out everything she could about Dean Winchester. He lived a few states over, a town close to where she had been discovered, cationic on the lawn of a firehouse. His brother, Sam Winchester was the city’s prosecutor. His father, John Winchester lived clear across the country, mother Mary had died when Dean was very small

It’s truly amazing and more than a little bit scary, what you can find out about someone on the internet. Lisa knew what precinct Dean worked out of, found the local phone number. Quick call to the station, a helpful receptionist released Dean’s cell phone to her. After all, she had important information about a case he was working on and need to speak to him right away.

She discovered his car, 1967 Chevy Impala, black. With a visit to a few social media sites, she obsessively explored until she found what she needed. 

His address.

Google Maps gave her a clear view of his house. Respectable neighborhood, well-kept lawn, 3 bedroom ranch style home with an attached garage and full basement. At least, that’s what the local realtor company had posted on their website.

Lisa had yet to return to work as a certified yoga instructor. Her mother worked long hours as an ER nurse and Ben had school weekdays, baseball practice 3 days a week after school and games on the weekends. She looked forward to the day Ben’s extended day and her mother’s extra shift gave her a few hours to take a drive.

The woman needed to see for herself that Dean Winchester was not her “Master”. If he was real, she had to make him go away. Lisa would not go back to the hospital.

No one could keep her from her son again.

Not now.

Not ever.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

 

THE PREY

 

Spring morphed to summer and Castiel finished his first year of culinary school. Although is parent’s suggested he and Michael move back to the family home for the summer, neither boy wanted to give up the apartment, or the freedom that came with it.

Cas secured a job at the coffee shop across the street. He quickly became a very talented barista, Hannah and Dean his biggest fans. Interacting with a greater number of people eventually wore his social anxiety down to the point he could make new friends. Gadreel, 19 and tall, had a not-so-secret crush on Hannah, and Metatron, a weird little guy that Gadreel assured them was ok. They all hung out together. Castiel trying to keep busy between Dean’s visits.

Michael found himself a girlfriend. Naomi. Cas didn’t appreciate her much; she was snobby, always seemed stressed out and in a hurry. The plus side to this new development, Mike’s absence from the apartment. Naomi lived alone and preferred they keep company at her place.

Mike happened to be staying at Naomi’s the first time Cas and Dean’s nights off coincided. Dean popped over with pizza and DVDs, Castiel had no interest in either one.   
The older man made every effort to play it cool, take it slow, no pressure. The younger man, straddled his lap, wrapped arms around his neck, leaning their foreheads against each other,

“I’ve missed you” he whispered

“I’ve been right here, Cas”

“No, I’ve missed being with you. It’s been over a year.”

“Wait” Dean pulled back to look him in the eyes “You haven’t been with anyone else?”

“Not willingly” trying hard not to think of the unwilling time. “have you?”

“I tried keeping pets after I let you go. It wasn’t the same. It wasn’t you”

Castiel fought the taste of jealousy in the back of his throat, the idea of Dean touching someone else chocking him.

Dean cupped Cas’s face with his hands, stroking his thumb across his cheeks, studying him.

“It’s been you. It’s always been you”

With that, Castiel tipped his head down and kissed Dean’s lips softly, every so softly. He felt dizzy, his heart racing, he wanted so badly. The Hunter ran his tongue across the seam of his Prey’s lips, requesting entry. Cas opened, dancing their tongues together.

Soft groans escaping from the kiss, Dean ran his hands through Castiel’s hair, fisting at the nap of the neck and pulling his head back. With easier access to the boy’s throat, he kissed and licked and sucked tenderly, Cas moving his hands to the older man’s shoulders, leaning back further, pressing his erection through his baggy sweats against Dean’s own throbbing cock, trapped in tight denim.

Castiel stood without warning, reached his hand out to Dean, who accepted it enthusiastically. Guiding the man to his feet, the boy tugged him towards the hall. Towards his room. 

Towards his bed

Dean stopped abruptly, locking emerald irises with sapphire ones,

“Are you sure?”

Cas gifted him a pure smile, rose up on his tip-toes to kiss him again.

“I don’t want to stop, Dean. I want this. I want you. It feels good to say what I want; you’re the only one who understands me. The only one I can be completely free with. You know all my secrets.”

They were kissing again, Castiel backing down the hall, Dean following, lips locked together until the back of Cas’s knees hit his bed and he lay back. He gazed up at his ‘Sir’, desire written plainly across his face. Dean stared down at him for a few moments, soaking in every inch of perfection that was his sweetheart. The man pulled his shirt over his head, unbuckled and wiggled out of his jeans, boxers going down with them.

His erection, long, thick and throbbing, hanging heavy between his legs, Dean reached down to the waistband of Castiel’s sweats. A few easy tugs and they fell to the floor with his boxer briefs. He straddled Cas’s waist, rubbing their cocks together, producing a wonderful moan from his sweetheart.

They spent the better part of an hour, just making out. The older man skimmed down Castiel’s body, settling between his legs, pushing them apart with gentle hands. He ran his tongue from the base of the pet’s cock to the head, then back down. Allowing time to suck lightly on each ball, he flicked the tip of his tongue over the boy’s rim.   
Castiel gasped at the sensation, arching up, body pleading for more. Dean pushed his tongue inside, slowly and torturous. Sealing his lips around the edges, sucked tenderly, delighting in the wonderful sounds Cas made.

Peeking up between his sweetheart’s knees, he murmured.

“Lube?”

Shit

“I don’t have any,” Cas raising his brow, “Let’s check Mike’s room”

The boy wiggled off the bed, stumbled naked down the hall searching his brother’s room.

Nothing.

Shit. Shit.

He ran to the bathroom, practically tearing the medicine cabinet apart, eyes landed on Vaseline.

Better than nothing.

Practically skipping back to his bed, he tossed the container to Dean with a sly grin.

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean dipped his index finger into the jelly, scooping up a dollop, rubbing around and in Cas’s hole. He worked the digit, knuckle by knuckle, and then pumped the finger in and out.

According to the sounds coming from Castiel’s throat, he was enjoying it. The older man lubed up his middle finger, sliding it next the first one. Watching with fascination as the hole relaxed and seemed to suck both fingers inside. Adding a third, Cas inhaled softly at the slight burn. Sure his sweetheart was prepared enough, he leaned back, spreading the boy’s legs, admiring his body.

Massaging a fair amount of Vaseline on himself, he teased around the rim, and then introduced just the head of his cock. Dean groaned at the tightness, the heat. Pushing hestitantly in more, listening closely to Castiel’s change in sound, concentrating on the expression on his face, watching for discomfort or uncertainty.

He found none.

Finally, pressed all the way in the vise-like hole, he leaned over Cas, resting his hands on either side of his face.

“I love you, Castiel” 

The boy opened his eyes in surprise, gave a soft, sincere smile, and whispered,

“I love you, Dean”

The Hunter kissed his former Prey reverently, pecking over his face and throat. He started to thrust, pulling his body back in a way he could view himself entered and exiting his love’s body. Cas whimpered with need, wrapping his legs around Dean’s waist, locking his ankles together around his back  
.   
The reached down to touch himself, needing release. Dean slapped his hand away, rewarding his look of confusion by changing the angle slightly and hitting his prostate.   
Castiel cried out, gripping Dean’s thighs and trying to pull him closer, deeper, thinking

‘more…..more…..more…..'

Only a few more plunges and his love squirt thick white lines across his stomach, panting and whimpering Dean’s name.

Hot, tight walls compressed against the older man’s cock, rhythmic squeezing and releasing brought Dean over the edge and he came deep inside Castiel, riding his orgasm as far as it would take him until he fell against Cas’s chest, breathless and lax.

Sharing kisses and smiles, Dean still inside Castiel when a voice from the doorway stopped both their hearts.

“What the hell fuck.....?”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lisa had been sitting outside the address she found for most of the night. She should’ve been home an hour ago to get Ben ready for school, she knew her mom would do it. Her mother had been texting and calling constantly the last 20 minutes, Lisa finally shut her phone off.

THE PREY

 

Dad never was very good at cursing.

‘What the hell fuck’?

If Senator Charles Engelmann didn’t look like he would have an actual stroke, Castiel would have laughed. He was sure Gabriel would have either way.

“Dad! ………..You………..here?” he stammered, grabbing the sheet to cover himself, Dean made a valiant effort to conceal himself under a pillow.

“Yes, I’m here! Mike called and said you were alone tonight, I drove over to keep you company. And I find…………….this. Get dressed, both of you, we need to talk”

Chuck slammed the door, Cas and Dean exchanged ‘Oh shit’ faces and scrambled to obey. Castiel was definably giving Michael that kick in the throat. 

Why the hell would he call Dad?

Sheepishly joining the Senator in the living room, Cas and Dean sat next to each other on the couch, facing Chuck in Michael’s recliner. Castiel, in an effort to make a point, reached over to grasp Dean’s hand. Meeting his Father’s gaze, he raised a brow to indicate he was listening.

Castiel’s Father sighed audibly, rubbing his hand across his face,

“How long has this been going on?”

Cas looked at Dean to answer; he was so much easier for the older man to speak.

“We’ve been dancing around each other for a while, this is the first time we’ve taken it this far” 

Chuck nodded, then closed his eyes and shook his head, 

“Dean, you’re 10 years older than him, how do you justify this? You’re taking advantage of….of…a weakened soul.”

Castiel chimed in at that 

“you….Mom……10………..apart. Not. Weak. Dad.”

“Yes, your Mom and I are 10 years apart, that’s different. I know you’re not weak, Son. You’re probably the strongest person I know. You’re 17, Castiel. You’re confused.”

“No offense, Mr. Engelmann, how is our age difference unlike yours’s? Cas is very resilient, after all he has suffered, and he survived and should be treated as an adult.” Dean pointed out, feeling like the world’s biggest hypocrite.

Chuck pinched the bridge of his nose, huffing

“What will your Mom say, Castiel? Your brothers’? An unconventional relationship is a battle you don’t need to fight right now. I’m sure Dr. Barnes will agree with me when I say you should wait.”

Cas closed his eyes, thought of Dean next to him, how Dean made him feel calm, safe and whispered,

“Mom adores Dean. Michael and Lucifer have both figured it out. I. Love. Him.”

"You're not stammering. What happened?” 

Looking his Father in the eye,

“Dean happened” 

********************************************************************************************************************************************************************

 

Lisa had been sitting outside the address she found for most of the night. She should’ve been home an hour ago to get Ben ready for school, she knew her mom would do it. Her mother had been texting and calling constantly the last 20 minutes, Lisa finally shut her phone off.

Tracking a very tall brunette across down the driveway to small car, she slipped out the passenger side of her mom’s minivan and strolled casually across the street. Long, dark hair drifting in the morning breeze, a bright smile on her face, she attempted cheerfulness, 

“Hi! I’m Lisa, I just moved in across the street. Thought I would come introduce myself” 

Eyeing the open neck of her blouse, the one she purposely skipped the top 3 buttons on, the man grinned, 

“Hello, Lisa. I’m Sam.” Offering his hand.

She grinned cheerfully, “A pleasure to meet you, Sam”. She recognized him easily from the photos online, Sam Winchester, Dean’s (maybe Master’s) brother. Attorney.

“Pleasures all mine, I assure you” he offered a flirtatious smirk, “I’m actually off to work right now, but maybe you can come by this evening? Say 6? I’ll make dinner for you, the least I can do to welcome you to the neighborhood.” 

“Oh no! I was hoping to borrow a little bit of coffee from you. I have tons of unpacking to do and desperately need caffeine” pouting prettily, blinking long, black eyelashes.

“Of course, follow me” he led her in through the front door, continuing with his back to her, he reached the kitchen he heard,

“Stop there” 

Sam turned around to find a Colt pointed at his chest. 

Lisa had pulled it from the back waistband of her jeans. Craig’s List had come in very handy; again, the internet is a scary thing.

“What the fuck lady?”

“I want to see Dean. I need to see if he’s my ‘Master’.”

 

Bitches be crazy. 

 

“Look, I don’t know where Dean is right now, I’m pretty sure he’s not your ‘Master’. You need to put the gun away before you get in real trouble. I’m the prosecuting attorney; you don’t know what you’re doing.” 

“I’m not crazy. I’m not delusional. I need to see Dean. I need to know that he’s not ‘Master’. Then I’ll leave you alone. I’ll go away and you’ll never see me again”

“I DON’T KNOW WHERE HE IS!”

“Call him” 

Shit.

Damn Dean releasing his pets.

Sam pulled his cell out of his inner jacket pocket, dialed his brother, 

“Hey, Dean. Sam. Yeah, you need to come home, one of your dogs got of the kennel. Ok, I’ll wait for you” 

“See? That wasn’t so hard” she sneered triumphantly 

 

Yep, bitches be crazy.

 

THE HUNTER

 

Dean had absolutely no idea what the hell Sam was talking about. He had never had a dog, ever. Chuck had finally left, Michael had returned in the early morning hours and Castiel tripped out a bit.

With Sam’s cryptic call, and a desperate need of clean clothes, he invited Cas to come home with him. No reason not to, they were not a secret anymore. He promised his sweetheart breakfast, the kind he used to make when they were alone in their fantasy world.

Castiel showered and changed, then eagerly climbed in to the Impala for the hour drive to Dean’s house. The older man blasted classic rock, one hand on the wheel, the other hand twirling through Cas’s curls. The boy swam in the intimacy, the tenderness. Dean, overjoyed they wouldn’t have to keep their love for one another a secret anymore. He didn’t have to feel like he was doing anything wrong.

Pulling up to the house, Dean was more than a little pissed to see Sam’s car blocking the entrance to the garage. He hated parking his baby outside. Cas giggled and grinned at his heartfelt curses and followed him through the front door.

“Sam? Sammy? Where you at, man? What’s with all the dog talk about?” 

Castiel plopped down on the couch, right where he used to sit, exhausted from staying up all night, debating his love life with his father.   
Dean smiled at Cas’s instant comfort returning to the house, started searching rooms for his brother.

“Sammy? If this is some kind of joke, it’s not fucking funny, bitch!” 

He opened the door to Sam’s room, and stopped breathing for a moment. Sam sat at the foot of his bed, Lisa standing next to him with a heavy gun to his temple.

“Hiya Dean. Can’t tell you how happy I am you let your dogs out of the kennel, man. Real smart.” 

Lisa seemed completely oblivious to the not-so-subtle code Sam was using.

“You’re him.

You can’t be him.

He’s not real.

You’re not real.

You have to go away.

You have to stay away”

She continued to murmur the same phrases over and over again, finally changing the direction of the gun from Sam’s temple to Dean’s head.

“Move…..over there” she demanded, pointing the gun to Sam’s computer chair in the corner. Backing up towards the door, both Winchesters in her sights.

“You kept me away from my son. You stole a year of my life. They told me you were a figment of my imagination. Told me you didn’t exist. Here you are. If you’re here, that means I’m still insane.

They’ll lock me away again, Master.

They’ll take my son away.

They can’t do that.

I can’t let them do that.”

Her hands were shaking; she gripped the weapon with both hands and started to squeeze the trigger.

Sam and Dean both clinched their eyes shut, holding their breath, expecting pain that never came.

Silence

Dean looked up slowly.

Lisa just stood there, eyes wide, face pale. She opened her mouth; blood ran over her bottom lip to her chin. Her jaw moved up and down, trying to articulate words but only gurgles escaped. The gun clambered echoingly to the floor.

Both Winchester hesitantly stood, moving towards the unbalanced woman. There, directly behind her:

 

Castiel.

 

Appearing small and fragile, blue eyes expansive, hair a state of disarray. He continued to hold the handle of a large kitchen knife, the blade buried in Lisa’s back.

Dean circled around the dying woman, holding his hands in front of him 

“Sweetheart? It’s ok. Let go of the knife. Everything’s going to be ok. Castiel?”

Cas blinked up at him, fingers still gripping the knife, blood raining over his hand, splattering his shoes.

“She was going to kill you” he whispered “I couldn’t let her kill you” voice desperate, pleading

“I know, baby. I know. I’m safe now, sweetheart. You can let go of the knife”

Sam stood frozen watching the exchange, frankly surprised that Lisa hadn’t collapsed to the ground yet. Her eyes had rolled back in their sockets and the blood coming from her mouth was now a river rather than a creek.

Castiel looked up at Dean as if he had just noticed the man was there, he stared at his hand on the knife, seemed surprised and jerked away suddenly. Lisa finally fell forward, Cas backing further into the hall until his back met the wall and he slid down, dazed.

Dean knelt down by the boy, 

“Cas? Cas look at me. Cas? There you are. You with me?” 

 

THE PREY

 

Castiel nodded, looked past Dean at Lisa’s body, Sam picking up the knife, careful not to step in the blood. 

“I’m here, I’m with you. I killed her. I killed her Dean” he whispered.

“I know, I know, its ok. It’s going to be all right, right Sammy?” looking over his shoulder to meet Sam’s eyes.

“Everything’s ok, Cas. I’m going to clean this up. Dean’s going to take care of you and this will all be over. Listen to Dean, Cas.” Sammy assured him.

The boy let his love guide him down the hall to the bathroom. Turning the water in the shower on full blast, he pulled Castiel in with him, both fully clothed. Cas shivered as the frigid spray soaked through his jeans, into his shoes, drifting pink down the drain.

Dean undressed him, and then undressed himself. He set the water warmer, proceeding to soap up a washcloth and cleanse the boy from head to toe, especially between his fingers and under his nails. With no trace of blood left, he help Castiel out, toweling him off briskly in an attempt to rub away his goosebumps.

Forsaking both of their clothes and shoes on the shower floor, he wrapped the boy snuggly in his oversized bathrobe. Leading him to the bedroom, Dean pulled the blankets back and tucked him in like a small child, complete with kiss on the cheek.

His love left the room; he heard harsh whispers and a series of thumps accented by profanity. Castiel stared at the white wall, studying the sconces placed evenly at the top. He watched black curtains waltz a bit when the air conditioning began to breeze through the vents.

He killed a human being.

He could have stabbed her in the arm, or the leg, that might have stopped her. He didn’t think it through; he heard voices, crept down the hall and saw a stranger threatening his lover, threatening his friend.

Cas had carefully run to the kitchen, grabbed the biggest, scariest blade from the knife block and tiptoed back. He watched her support the gun with both hands saw the expression on Dean’s face and stopped her. That was all he could think about.

Stopping her.

Sam and Dean said they would clean it up. Said it was alright. Castiel wouldn’t go to jail. He may go to Hell but was safe from prison. Adrenaline drained from his body, leaving him limp and lethargic. His consciousness slid away.

He stopped her.

He stabbed her.

He killed a human being.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Dean returned, he discovered his bed empty and Castiel nowhere to be found. Panicking, he searched the house. Cas’s clothes and shoes, still on the shower floor, his cell phone on the end table in the living room. The back door still locked from the inside.

THE HUNTER

 

Dean revisited Sam’s room, where his brother had already rolled Lisa’s lifeless body up in the tablecloth from the kitchen. Sam glared up at him, opened his mouth to speak, Dean cut him off,

“Later, Sammy. You can yell at me later. Let’s get this over with. Cas is hanging by a thread, man” 

Sam sighed and agreed,

“That kid saved our lives, didn’t see that coming”

Both brothers were more than capable of disposing of a body; they had studied under their father for years, never mind their broad personal experience. Just to be safe, Sam terminated his pets and added them to the load. Cas was still dead to the world when Sam and Dean left, Sam taking care of the bodies, Dean taking care of the vehicle.

When Dean returned, he discovered his bed empty and Castiel nowhere to be found. Panicking, he searched the house. Cas’s clothes and shoes, still on the shower floor, his cell phone on the end table in the living room. The back door still locked from the inside. 

Where the Hell was he? 

Light bulb lit up and the older man remembered his camera system. Pulling up the feed on his laptop, he watched Castiel wander around the house, staring into Sam’s room for quite a while, and then enter the basement door.

Dean’s eyes widened at the discovery and sped down the basement stairs, surprised to see the empty fridge moved away from the wall. Down another set of steps, three empty cages; Castiel asleep on the bed of the forth one. The one he had stayed in when he was Dean’s pet. 

Dean knelt down, near Cas’s face, stroking his hair.   
“Baby? Sweetheart?” 

The boy blinked his eyes a few times before keeping them open. He smiled tenderly at his ‘Sir’ and sat up.

“Cas? What are you doing down here?” 

Whispering sadly  
,   
“It’s safe here. There’s no Alastair or Azazel, no strange women with guns, no father telling me not to love you. I was happy here. Sat at that table, studied, listened to music and looked forward every single day to you coming through that door. I just want to hide here for a while, Dean. Will you hide here with me? Just for a while, just until I can handle what’s out there again. 

Please?”

Dean crawled in behind his sweetheart, both laying down, big spoon and little spoon. The older man buried his face in the back of Cas’s neck, inhaling the shampoo, body wash and a scent that was Castiel’s. They escaped for a little while. Let the world turn outside without them.

Dean never imagined, not in a million years, that he would ever fall in love with a pet. Never fathomed that pet would love him in return. He knew his family was twisted, he understood taking people, torturing them and killing them wasn’t something every father taught his sons. Dean admitted to himself, he enjoyed it. All the variety, all the different sounds, special ways each pet made him feel.

He didn’t need that anymore. Castiel was amazing. Everything that had happened to him, he still remained pure, innocent, and unbreakable. Lying in a gray, cinderblock room modeled after a jail cell, he made a promise, to himself and his sweetheart.

Castiel would be safe.

Always

 

THE PREY

 

Castiel could never explain why he went down to his cage. It was demented and crazy, and he didn’t care. Dean wouldn’t judge him. No matter what he had survived, how many troubles he had, Dean accepted him and all his insanity. He accepted Dean’s insanity as well.

When he was ready to face the real world again, his….’boyfriend?’ steered him up to the house. They set about washing Cas’s clothes and shoes. Castiel called his parents and Michael to let them know why he was gone so long, that he had one of his excruciating migraines. He didn’t miss the condescending tone his father gifted him with.

Castiel James Engelmann had enough. Enough hiding, enough pain and enough of people’s opinions on how he should live his life. Yes, he was only 17, but he felt so much older. He would start his second year of culinary school in a few weeks; he had a man that loved him, unconditionally. He deserved to be happy and, damn it, he was tired of fighting for it.

“Dean?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“I love you”

“I love you too, sweetheart. Are you ok?”

“I will be. 

******************************************************************************************************  
FOUR YEARS LATER

 

Castiel padded through the halls of the house he had purchased with Dean using his trust fund. They had also purchased a restaurant, Cas now an accomplished chef. After Dean made detective, they married and settled in to a normal life. 

Blissfully normal. 

They hadn’t had to murder anyone in a long time.

Sam bought Dean’s old house, complete with the pet cages in the basement. Irony at its finest, he fell in love with a pet named Jessica. Dean’s brother modeled his relationship with the blonde beauty after Dean and Castiel’s. He wasn’t sure if she loved him back yet, but he had all the time in the world.

His cellphone vibrated in his pajama pocket, he kept the sound off so Dean could rest. He worked long hours on his latest case and was snoring loudly in their bedroom. In a hushed voice he answered,

“Hello”

Someone was crying, attempting to catch their breath, gasping between tears,

“Cas? Cas he’s going to kill me. Cas, you have to take care of Claire for me. He’s not going to stop this time……” 

Hannah

Hannah had married Gadreel shortly before Cas and Dean married. Gadreel was sweet, adoring, the perfect husband. Until he wasn’t. He started coming home late, sometimes not coming home at all, always running with Metatron. The first time Hannah confronted him, asked if he was cheating, he backhanded her in to a wall.

After that, the abuse came more frequent and more intense. It’s easy to say she should’ve left, easy to say what you would do in her shoes. 

Life just isn’t that simple.

When Gadreel found out Hannah was pregnant, the abuse stopped. Completely. He didn’t hang out with Metatron anymore, stayed completely by Hannah’s side through every doctor’s appointment, ultra-sound and childbirth class. He was a model husband and Hannah found herself grateful she had stuck it out.

Castiel’s best friend gave birth three weeks ago. It was almost midnight and he could barely understand what she was saying, but he didn’t have to hear the words. Gadreel had started up again and Hannah feared for her life.

“Hannah! Hang up and call 911, Dean and I are on our way over. Is there a room you can lock yourself in with the baby? 

Hannah? 

Hannah? 

HANNAH!”

His screaming woke Dean up, who immediately popped out of bed to find him. Cas held the phone out to his husband, tears running down his face and desperation in his voice,

“It’s Hannah. She’s hurt and she’s not talking anymore. We have to get to her, Dean. She said he was going to kill her.”

Dean immediately called 911, identified himself as an officer, had police and ambulance on their way. Hurriedly dressing, they both jumped in ‘baby’ and sped to Hannah’s.

They were too late.

Several officers were already stretching crime tape around the property, nosey neighbors peaking around the boundary.

Gadreel was nowhere to be found, Baby Claire lay peacefully in her bassinette, her mother’s dead body lying on the carpet next to her. Hannah’s hand seemed to be reaching up the side of the baby’s bed. 

Her last thoughts of her baby girl.

They weren’t allowed inside the crime scene, not even Dean because he was off duty. When Child Services exited the home with the tiny, pink infant, Castiel scooped Claire up, a single look at Dean told him what to do. Dean informed the investigating officers that Hannah specifically asked for Cas to care for the child. Pending a written will, Claire should’ve gone to foster care. No way would Castiel Winchester let that happen. Against prodigal, regulations and breaking more than one law, Castiel and Dean took Baby Claire home.

Hannah’s murderer had disappeared without a trace. Dean and Benny took this very personally, Rowena and Charlie did too. Senator Engelmann’s attorney filed for custody immediately. Cas had the full support of Hannah’s parents, Gadreel’s parents never even showed up to court. By law, they had to wait 6 months with no contact from the child’s biological father before they could terminate his rights allowing Castiel and Dean to adopt her. In the meantime, they were awarded guardianship.

Cas cut his hours back at the restaurant, Hannah’s parents, Anna, Sam and the Engelmann boys all stepped up to help. Five new uncles fought over who would keep her next.

Claire was adored.

When the waiting period was over, Gadreel still a fugitive, Claire officially became a Winchester. Both families celebrated, the party bigger than their wedding. By then end of the night, both Daddys felt truly blessed, truly loved and incredibly lucky.

Everyone had gone home, Sam stuck around to help with the baby while the new parents cleaned up. Dean met his brother’s eyes, smirked and asked,

“Hey, Sammy. Can you keep Claire-Bear for a little bit? I have a surprise for Cas.”

Cas raised a brow, looked back and forth between the two as Sam happily agreed to coddle his niece.

Dean took his husband’s hand, leading him towards the garage.

“If you bought me a mini-van, babe, I’m going to be pissed” Cas whined.

The older man laughed, opened the door from the kitchen to the garage and flicked on the lights.

There, bound, gagged and hanging from the rafters by his wrists:

 

Gadreel 

 

Cas smiled a smile Dean had never seen before. 

“How long have you had him?” he asked, circling his prey.

“About a month, been keeping him in Sam’s cages.” 

Castiel gave Dean an intense hug, squeezing him and whispering through tears in his ear, 

“Thank you”

His husband rolled the tool box over, opened a few drawers and backed away.

Cas wiped his face, moved in front of Gadreel to look in his eyes,

 

“This is going to be fun”


End file.
